Ingredient list › Palmitic Acid

Does Palmitic Acid clog pores?

Quick answer: Rarely — Palmitic Acid has only a mild pore-clogging risk (rated 2/5) and suits most skin types, though very acne-prone skin may want to patch test. It is also a common fungal-acne (Malassezia) trigger.

2/5
A mild, low pore-clogging risk
Comedogenicity scale: 0 = won't clog pores, 5 = very likely to clog pores.
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Palmitic Acid carries only a mild pore-clogging risk. It is fine for most skin types; very reactive or acne-prone skin may still want to patch test a new product that contains it.

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What is Palmitic Acid?

Palmitic Acid is a fatty acid used as an emollient or thickener. You'll most often see it in creams, cleansers and emulsions, where it works as an emollient or thickener.

Fungal-acne (Malassezia) safe? No — this is a common Malassezia (fungal acne) trigger, so avoid it if you have fungal acne. Check a whole product for fungal-acne triggers →

Is Palmitic Acid comedogenic?

Palmitic Acid has a comedogenicity rating of 2/5 — a mild, low pore-clogging risk. Remember that where an ingredient sits in the list matters: Palmitic Acid near the top means a higher concentration and more impact than the same ingredient near the end.

Acne-safe alternatives to Palmitic Acid

If Palmitic Acid breaks you out, these lower-rated fatty acid options are far less likely to clog pores:

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 Palmitic Acid's 2/5 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

  1. 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
  2. Draelos ZD, DiNardo JC. A re-evaluation of the comedogenicity concept. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2006;54(3):507–512. PubMed
  3. 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.

Note: Informational only, not medical advice. Real-world effects depend on concentration, the full formula and your individual skin.