Do Oils Clog Pores? How Different Oils Affect Skin

The oily film you feel on your skin and the plug that clogs a pore form in different places. Some oils can contribute to clogged pores, but oils don't all affect skin the same way, and an oil's chemistry, its stability and the ingredients around it help explain how it behaves.^{1, 2} Once you know how oils differ, you can read an ingredient list, or a "non-comedogenic" result, for what it actually tells you.

What actually blocks a pore?

A pore is the opening of a hair follicle, the small channel that holds a hair. Cells lining the channel normally shed while sebum, the oil your skin makes, travels up through it to the surface. When the shed cells and sebum stick together, they can form a plug called a comedone, a bit like grease and lint clogging a drain. Blackheads and whiteheads are two types, and comedones are where "non-comedogenic" gets its name. Bacteria and inflammation also play a part in acne.¹

The oily film you feel sits on top of your skin, outside the follicle, so a rich texture doesn't mean more clogged pores. Texture describes how a product feels and spreads, and an oil's thickness and chemistry affect how it flows and spreads.⁷ Clogging happens inside the follicle, where cells and sebum form the plug.¹ The feel of skin-softening ingredients, or emollients, can help you choose a finish you enjoy, and pore-clogging tests are how researchers check what happens inside follicles after an ingredient or formula is applied.^{2, 8}

Why an oil's chemical form matters

Many plant oils carry their fatty acids in groups of three, each attached to one arm of a small three-armed molecule called glycerol. The whole unit is a triglyceride, and which fatty acids it holds helps explain an oil's properties. A free fatty acid is a fatty acid on its own, with no glycerol attached.³ Linoleic acid, for example, can be applied as a free fatty acid or come inside a plant oil's triglycerides, so it helps to know which form a study tested before you read its result.

In a study of people with mild acne, researchers applied linoleic acid to the skin and compared it with the same preparation without it. They sampled material from follicles, including microcomedones, tiny early blockages. After a month, the overall size of the sampled material was about a quarter smaller with linoleic acid, and the preparation without it made no change.⁶ A quarter in a month is a real shift. It's a change in size, though, and fewer blockages or fewer breakouts would be different results.

How oxidation changes an oil

An oil's chemistry can change when it reacts with oxygen, the same process that turns cooking oil rancid. The process, called oxidation, produces new compounds. In a rabbit-ear study, squalene that had oxidized caused much more pore clogging than fresh squalene.⁵ So how fresh an oil is can change what it does to pores, at least in rabbit ears.

Squalane is made by adding hydrogen to squalene, which changes its bonds and makes it much more resistant to oxidation. It's made only of carbon and hydrogen, with no fatty acids attached to glycerol, so it isn't a triglyceride at all.⁴ The article on preservatives and antioxidants explains how antioxidants help protect a blend from oxidation.

What does "non-comedogenic" actually mean?

Some creams that contain oils have passed human pore-clogging tests. One study tested four creams with oils such as avocado, apricot kernel and sunflower oil, applied under patches on men's upper backs.² In the test, a cream counted as non-comedogenic as long as microcomedone counts rose by less than 50%. All four creams passed, although some individual counts went up, so passing didn't mean nothing changed. The skin was exposed to each cream's full blend of ingredients, at the concentrations each formula used, so the results describe the finished creams rather than any single oil on its own.

Comedogenic ratings come from tests too. A comedogenic rating is a pore-clogging score assigned under particular test conditions, and one widely cited study scored ingredients from zero to five based on changes in rabbit ears. Its methods set both the amount of each ingredient and the material it was mixed with.⁸ So a well-known pore-clogging number can trace back to a rabbit's ear rather than a human face. Before you lean on a score, check what was tested, at what concentration, and on which skin model.

When you're choosing skincare

For people managing acne, the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases recommends oil-free cosmetics and products labeled non-comedogenic. It also notes that some people find even these products worsen their acne.⁹

Start with the institute's recommendation, then weigh a product's test results and how your skin responds:

Read the test conditions. Check whether the study tested an ingredient or the finished formula, and whether it involved facial use or covered patches on the back.
Check what changed. Smaller microcomedones, fewer microcomedones, and fewer visible breakouts are different outcomes.
Pay attention to your skin. Stop using a product that seems to worsen your breakouts, including one labeled non-comedogenic.

How we choose oils for Omnia

Avoiding pore clogging was one of our goals when we formulated Omnia, and we paid particular attention to how well its oils resist oxidation. Squalane makes up the largest share of Omnia's waterless base. We pair it with mixed tocopherols, forms of vitamin E, and rosemary extract, chosen to help slow oxidation in the other oils during storage and use.

The next time you see "non-comedogenic" on a label, ask what was tested, on what skin, and what was counted.

Sources

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Acne.
Waranuch N, et al. Safety assessment on comedogenicity of dermatological products containing d-alpha tocopheryl acetate in Asian subjects: A double-blind randomized controlled trial. Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 2021. Free full text.
National Research Council (US) Committee on Diet and Health. Fats and Other Lipids. In: Diet and Health: Implications for Reducing Chronic Disease Risk. Book chapter, National Academies Press. 1989.
Brunner G, et al. Phase Equilibrium of Hydrogen, Carbon Dioxide, Squalene, and Squalane. Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data, 2009.
Motoyoshi K. Enhanced comedo formation in rabbit ear skin by squalene and oleic acid peroxides. British Journal of Dermatology, 1983.
Letawe C, et al. Digital image analysis of the effect of topically applied linoleic acid on acne microcomedones. Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 1998.
Douguet M, et al. Spreading properties of cosmetic emollients: Use of synthetic skin surface to elucidate structural effect. Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, 2017.
Fulton JE Jr. Comedogenicity and irritancy of commonly used ingredients in skin care products. Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists, 1989.
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Acne: Diagnosis, treatment, and steps to take.

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The best in the market

★★★★★

I absolutely love Omnia. I’ve tried a LOT of skincare over the years, and this is one of the rare products where I can genuinely see and feel a difference in my skin. It leaves my skin incredibly hydrated, smooth, and healthy-looking without needing a complicated routine or a million different products. I also really appreciate the thought and science behind the ingredients and formulation. My skin has never looked better, and I honestly recommend this to anyone who wants great skin without a 10-step routine!

Perfect for AM and PM!

At first I thought I’d try to preserve this and only use it at night, but I love it too much and need it AM and PM. In the morning it’s the only thing I wear on my face then apply a little bit of blush and call it a day. It’s silky and hydrating, and the times I have added another layer of makeup it acts as the perfect primer too. At night I use it as my last step moisturizer and it feels like it locks in all of the products I’ve used before. On nights I’m lazy (more often than not) I only cleanse and use the Omnia.

My new favorite serum

My new favorite serum. I love how quickly this product absorbs into my skin. Leaves my skin hydrated and glowing. Love love love. Will definitely be purchasing this product again.

The serum that retired my tinted serum

In my 20s I slathered on foundation like it was a personality. Full coverage, extra layer, the whole thing. I thought I looked incredible. I was the only one.
30s hit and I switched to tinted serum (thank god).
Then I started using Omnia and now I actually like how I look with just that. Soft. Skin can breathe. The glow does something foundation never did. Looks like skin, just better. Like I’ve been drinking 8 glasses of water and sleeping 8 hours. (I have not.) Immediate yes. Curious and excited to see what it does longer term.

Never ending moisture

My very favorite thing about this product is how the moisture it adds to my skin lasts … and lasts and lasts ! It doesn’t have a greasy or heavy feel , it leaves my skin feeling buttery soft and vibrant, and I only need to apply a very small amount once a day . A lot of moisturizers wear off but this is a totally different experience . It makes a great base for makeup and leaves me feeling radiant .

I’m loving this product

I honestly can’t say enough good things about this moisturizer! I’m 70 and over the years my skin had become noticeably dry, dull, and definitely starting to show my age. So along with aging skin came those little white bumps. I was amazed to see after several weeks of using Omnia they are gone. I’ve tried plenty of products, but this one has made a remarkable difference.
My skin looks and feels so much better. It feels hydrated, softer, smoother, and has a healthier, more youthful appearance.
This is definitely one of a kind. They’ve created something really special.

Obsessed

For texture think Sisley meets Dior 😍 it’s the most delicious application to your skin. I have very sensitive skin and am always hesitant to try new things once I find a routine that works and materia earned my full trust. If anything I feel like it protected me from harsher products at night and made my makeup application even more flawless during the day. Obsessed

I really like this product

I really like this product. It goes on so nicely and it really does absorb into your skin rather than laying on top. I’m 71 years old and I really think that it has improved my skin. I have always tried to take care of my skin, but I have never had a product that went on so nicely. And you don’t even need very much. I know when you first look at the price it seems like it might be expensive, but when you realize how much it does and how many other products you don’t need I think it’s really worth it.
I wanna thank material for making such a wonderful product

The texture alone

I collect skincare the way some people collect wine and I have never felt a texture like this. It is a firm balm in the jar, opaque and matte. Beautiful orange-gold color. The second it touches your skin it liquefies into a thin clear oil, and then a minute later it's setlled. Just skin that looks like skin, only better, and my makeup applies better than it did before. The jar is heavy glass and looks beautiful on the counter. Performance wise my skin is softer and more even after three weeks. This is the first product in a long time that feels like it was actually designed by someone.

On the first night my face felt smoother and it keeps getting better even seems to make my laugh

On the first night my face felt smoother and it keeps getting better even seems to make my laugh lines less noticeable.