Stearyl heptanoate: is it comedogenic? What it does in skincare

What it does

Emollient ester that softens skin.

• Emollient
• Skin conditioning

Stearyl heptanoate in plain English

Stearyl heptanoate is a fatty ester used to soften skin and give creams, lip products and makeup a smooth feel. It shows up on classic comedogenic lists at a moderate level. Its rating comes from old rabbit-ear tests of the raw ingredient, which can overstate what happens with a finished product on human skin.

Is stearyl heptanoate bad for acne?

It can be. Stearyl heptanoate has a moderate clog risk rating for acne-prone skin. In Fulton's 1989 rabbit-ear test it scored 4 out of 5 for clogging pores and 0 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: A fatty ester that shows up on classic comedogenic lists.

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

Also called

• Stearyl Heptanoate

Related ingredients

• Acetylated lanolin alcoholHigh clog riskLight lanolin-based emollient that softens skin
• Algae extractHigh clog riskSeaweed extract that hydrates but rates high for clogging pores
• Bladderwrack extractModerate clog riskBrown seaweed extract that hydrates and may clog pores
• Butyl myristateModerate clog riskSoftening ester in the myristate family, may clog pores
• Butyl stearateHigh clog riskEmollient ester that softens skin and adds slip
• Cetyl acetateModerate clog riskEmollient ester that softens skin