Ingredient decoder

Shark liver oil: is it comedogenic? What it does in skincare

INCI name: Shark Liver Oil

Acne verdict Moderate clog risk

Rated a pore-clogger

  • Comedogenic3 / 5
  • Irritancy2 / 5

What it does

Animal oil used as an emollient, may clog pores.

  • Skin conditioning
  • Skin protecting
  • Solvent

Shark liver oil in plain English

Shark liver oil is an animal-derived oil used as an emollient. It has moderate ratings on older comedogenic lists. Keep in mind these ratings come from old rabbit-ear tests of the raw ingredient, which can overstate the risk of a small amount in a finished product.

Is shark liver oil bad for acne?

It can be. Shark liver oil has a moderate clog risk rating for acne-prone skin. In Fulton's 1989 rabbit-ear test it scored 3 out of 5 for clogging pores and 2 out of 5 for irritation. That test used the raw ingredient, so a small amount in a finished product may behave differently. If you break out easily, check where it sits on the ingredient list: the higher it appears, the more of it the product usually contains.

Why it is flagged: An animal oil with moderate ratings on older lists.

Clean routine and still breaking out? The cause may be internal. See what is driving it

Also called

  • Shark Liver Oil

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Frequently asked questions

Is shark liver oil comedogenic?

Shark liver oil scored 3 out of 5 for comedogenicity in Fulton's 1989 rabbit-ear study, where 0 means no clogging and 5 means severe. That is a moderate rating. The test used the raw ingredient, so a finished product may behave differently.

What does shark liver oil do in skincare?

In short: animal oil used as an emollient, may clog pores. In formulas it is used for skin conditioning, skin protecting and solvent.

How can I check if a product with shark liver oil is acne-safe?

Paste the product's full ingredient list into the free breakoutLabs acne-safe checker. It decodes every ingredient, flags commonly cited pore-cloggers and irritants, and points out acne fighters.

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