Ingredient list › Carnauba Wax
Does Carnauba Wax clog pores?
Quick answer: Unlikely — Carnauba Wax has a very low pore-clogging risk (rated 1/5) and is generally fine for acne-prone skin. It is not a common fungal-acne trigger.
Carnauba Wax has a very low likelihood of clogging pores and is generally considered safe for acne-prone skin.
What is Carnauba Wax?
Carnauba Wax is a wax used to give structure to balms and sticks. On an ingredient label it may also appear as copernicia cerifera wax. You'll most often see it in balms, sticks, mascaras and solid formats.
Fungal-acne (Malassezia) safe? Yes — it is not on common Malassezia (fungal acne) trigger lists. Check a whole product for fungal-acne triggers →
Is Carnauba Wax comedogenic?
Carnauba Wax has a comedogenicity rating of 1/5 — a very low pore-clogging risk. Remember that where an ingredient sits in the list matters: Carnauba Wax near the top means a higher concentration and more impact than the same ingredient near the end.
Similar acne-safe ingredients
Carnauba Wax is already a low-risk choice. Other acne-safe options you may see alongside it include:
- Candelilla Wax — Low risk · 1/5
- Squalane — Low risk · 1/5
- Glycerin — Acne safe · 0/5
- Niacinamide — Acne safe · 0/5
- Hyaluronic Acid — Acne safe · 0/5
How we rate comedogenicity — and its limits
The 0–5 comedogenicity scale comes from dermatology research that measured how much individual ingredients clogged pores, originally using the rabbit-ear assay (Fulton et al., 1984). A rating reflects an ingredient's potential to clog pores at high concentration — not a guarantee that any finished product will break you out.
That distinction matters. A later review (Draelos & DiNardo, 2006) found that a single ingredient's comedogenic score does not reliably predict how a complete formula behaves on real skin: concentration, the rest of the formula, and your own skin all change the result. So read Carnauba Wax's 1/5 as a risk signal — most useful when the ingredient sits near the top of the list — rather than a verdict on one specific product.
AcneSafeCheck compiles published comedogenicity ratings and dermatology references into one searchable database. It is educational, not a lab test of your specific product, and not medical advice.
References
- Fulton JE Jr, Pay SR, Fulton JE III. Comedogenicity of current therapeutic products, cosmetics, and ingredients in the rabbit ear. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1984;10(1):96–105. PubMed
- Draelos ZD, DiNardo JC. A re-evaluation of the comedogenicity concept. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2006;54(3):507–512. PubMed
- American Academy of Dermatology. Acne: causes, treatment and skin-care guidance. aad.org
By Mitchell Zandwijken · Rated against the published comedogenicity references above · Last updated July 2026.