Comparisons › Avocado Oil vs Olive Oil
Avocado Oil vs Olive Oil: which is better for acne-prone skin?
Quick answer: Olive Oil is the safer pick for acne-prone skin. Avocado Oil rates 3/5 and Olive Oil rates 2/5 on the comedogenic scale.
Side by side
| Avocado Oil | Olive Oil | |
| Comedogenic rating | Clogging risk · 3/5 | Low risk · 2/5 |
| Category | Oil | Oil |
| Pore-clogging (≥3) | Yes | No |
| Fungal-acne trigger | Yes — can feed Malassezia | Yes — can feed Malassezia |
Scale: 0 = non-comedogenic (won't clog pores) … 5 = very likely to clog pores.
The verdict
Olive Oil is the safer choice for acne-prone skin: it rates 2/5 (a mild, low pore-clogging risk) versus 3/5 for Avocado Oil (a moderate pore-clogging risk). One caveat: Olive Oil can still feed Malassezia, so it isn't the best pick if fungal acne is your problem.
Avocado Oil: 3/5
Avocado Oil rates 3/5 — a moderate pore-clogging risk. If you break out easily, avoid it in leave-on products, especially when it appears near the top of the ingredient list. It can also feed Malassezia, so people with fungal acne usually avoid it. Full breakdown: is Avocado Oil comedogenic?
Olive Oil: 2/5
Olive Oil rates 2/5 — a mild, low pore-clogging risk. Most skin tolerates it well; very reactive skin may want to patch test. It can also feed Malassezia, so people with fungal acne usually avoid it. Full breakdown: is Olive Oil comedogenic?
Checking a real product?
Single-ingredient ratings are guidance, not a lab test of a finished formula — concentration and the rest of the ingredient list matter (Draelos & DiNardo, 2006). Paste the full list into the comedogenic ingredient checker to screen everything at once, or the fungal-acne checker if Malassezia is your problem.
By Mitchell Zandwijken · Rated against published comedogenicity references (Fulton 1984; Draelos & DiNardo 2006) · Last updated July 2026.