What is non-comedogenic?
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| What is non-comedogenic? | @healthbiztips |
What is non-comedogenic?
@healthbiztips by Arlene Gentallan
You see it on beauty product labels, but what does non-comedogenic implies? Simply put, a non-comedogenic product does not clog pores, thereby making it less likely to cause a breakout.
You see, when materials like dead skin cells, sebum, and dirt get lodged on a skin pore, it can cause a blockage which creates a favorable environment for bacterial growth. Consequently, inflammation can ensue.
Non-comedogenic products contain no clog-forming ingredients. This formulation is specially helpful amongst those who have excessively oily, or acne-prone skin.
Though, I'm afraid the search for the perfect skincare product isn't at all that simple. You see, even when the label says that a specific personal care product is non-comedogenic, there's still a chance that it can cause pimples. This is because each person's skin may react differently to the same skincare product. That is to say, a moisturizer that works wonderfully for most may in fact be incompatible to some.
Oils and butter used in cosmetic products are put on a comedogenic scale where they are assigned a number from 0 to 5, where the number 0 won't clog pores whereas 5 has the highest likelihood of clogging.
In the comedogenic scale, those products assigned the numeric:
0 - do not clog pores
1 - have very low possiblity of clogging pores
2 - moderately low
3 - moderate
4 - fairly high
5 - represents the highest on the scale
Non-comedogenic products fall in the 0 to 2 category.
However, this comedogenic scale is not absolute since the testing method and concentration used for oil and butter can differ. Moreover, certain skin types such as those with excessively dry skin may in fact benefit from moderate comedogenic formulations.
How are oils tested for their comedogenic scale? Testing is done by daily topical application of the product in question to a rabbit's inner ear or the back of a human. This testing can take a month in rabbits and up to 6 months in people.
Unfortunately, there are potential loophole to this whole testing thing since there are cases in which highly comedogenic oils tested in rabbits are in fact non-comedogenic to humans. Furthermore, studies have shown that diluting oil reduces their comedogenicity.
So, what do we learn from all of this stuff? Let's just say that non-comedogenic means that a cosmetic product is less likely to clog pores and cause breakout, but it's not a 100% guarantee.
