Is ethylhexyl palmitate ?
Ethylhexyl Palmitate’s rating, who rated it, and what the lab tests can’t tell you.
on labels: Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Who rated it
- ✓ Fulton 1989
- ✓ Morris & Kwan 1983
- ✓ Acne Specialists list
- ✓ acne.org list
| Source | Rating | What was tested |
|---|---|---|
| Fulton 1989 | 4 of 5, high | 10% in propylene glycol |
| Morris & Kwan 1983 | 2 to 3 of 5, moderate | undiluted |
| Acne Specialists list | flags it | a list, not a test |
| acne.org list | flags it, under “Avoid” and “Consider Avoiding” (listed twice, under two names) | a list, not a test |
A study only counts for the ingredients it tested. A list counts for every ingredient: on it means it flags it. How we count agreement →
Question about this rating? Email us about Ethylhexyl Palmitate (contact@acneingredientchecker.com)What this means in practice
- It was tested at , on rabbits. Fulton mixed it into and put it on the inner ears of rabbits. Their skin reacts more than ours, so the tends to overstate the risk.
- A stronger dose gave a lower score. tested it undiluted and rated it 2 to 3 out of 5. More of an ingredient doesn’t always mean a higher score: labs test and grade in different ways.
- A test on people used it as a . A 2021 study by Waranuch and others used it to check that its test worked. More on that in the questions below.
- Why it’s in products. CosIng, the EU’s ingredient database, lists ethylhexyl palmitate as an emollient: it helps skin look soft and smooth. It’s also used in perfumes.
- Where it sits on the label matters. Near the top usually means more of it. Near the bottom, there’s usually much less.
Watch the label
One ingredient can have several names, and similar names can have different ratings.
- Octyl palmitate and 2-ethylhexyl palmitate are other names for the same ingredient. The checker reads all three.
- Isopropyl palmitate is a different ingredient, rated 4 out of 5 by Fulton and 3 by Morris and Kwan.
- Cetyl palmitate was rated 0 by Fulton. “Palmitate” in a name doesn’t settle it.
Check the exact name on your label: a rating for one doesn’t carry over to another.
Check a whole product
One ingredient is only part of the story. Paste the full ingredient list into the checker to see every flagged ingredient, where it sits on the label, and how many sources agree.
Common questions
Is ethylhexyl palmitate comedogenic?
In lab tests, yes. Fulton’s 1989 test rated it 4 out of 5 (high) at 10%. Morris and Kwan’s 1983 test, under its other name, octyl palmitate, rated it 2 to 3. Both tests were done on rabbits, whose skin reacts more than ours.
Has ethylhexyl palmitate been tested on people?
Yes, as a known pore-clogger. In a 2021 study by Waranuch and others, 15 men wore patches on their backs three times a week for four weeks. Octyl palmitate raised the count of tiny clogged pores by more than half in each of the 12 men whose results were counted. One more man was left out because octyl palmitate raised his count by less. The study was testing other products; octyl palmitate was there to show the test worked.
Is ethylhexyl palmitate OK for fungal acne?
We can’t say. None of the fungal-acne lab studies this site uses tested it. If you think you have fungal acne, a doctor can check.
Does ethylhexyl palmitate irritate skin?
Fulton also scored irritation in the same rabbit test, on its own 0 to 5 scale, and gave ethylhexyl palmitate a 0, the lowest score. That doesn’t change its pore-clogging rating of 4.
Sources on this page
- Fulton 1989: Comedogenicity and irritancy of commonly used ingredients in skin care products. Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists 40(6):321–333 (Nov/Dec 1989)
- Morris & Kwan 1983: Use of the rabbit ear model in evaluating the comedogenic potential of cosmetic ingredients. Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists 34(5):215–225 (Aug 1983)
- Acne Specialists list: Pore-Clogging Ingredients Checker list, Acne Specialists (acnespecialists.com)
- acne.org list: Common Comedogenic Ingredients, acne.org (Dan Kern)
- Waranuch N, Wisutthathum S, Tuanthai S, 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 23:100834 (2021). Open access, CC BY 4.0; read in full. DOI: 10.1016/j.conctc.2021.100834
- Source: European Commission, CosIng database, CC BY 4.0: Ethylhexyl Palmitate, listed functions, reworded in plain language. Checked Nov 3, 2026. CosIng entry
What to do next
- Patch-test first Try a new product on a small area.
- Give it a few weeks Skin takes time to show changes.
- See a doctor if it hurts Painful or widespread acne needs care. Read about acne: NHS · AAD
Not medical advice. Flags are a screening aid, not a diagnosis. The amount and the formula both matter.
Comedogenic
Likely to clog pores. A clogged pore is called a comedo: a blackhead or a whitehead.
INCI name
The official ingredient name printed on labels. Plant ingredients use their Latin name, like Simmondsia Chinensis for jojoba.
The 0 to 5 scale
Fulton’s score for how many clogged pores an ingredient caused in the test: 0 is none, 5 is a lot. On this site, 3 and up “may clog pores” and 2 is “rated low”.
Fulton 1989
James E. Fulton Jr., of the Acne Research Institute in California, rated about 220 skincare ingredients in 1989. Many pore-clogging lists still copy his numbers.
Tested at 10%
Fulton tested most ingredients at the same strength, 10%, so the results could be compared. A real product can hold more or less.
Propylene glycol
A clear liquid that Fulton mixed most ingredients into before testing.
Rabbit-ear test
A rabbit’s inner ear forms clogged pores within two weeks, so many ingredients could be compared quickly. Its skin reacts more than ours, so the test tends to overstate the risk.
Morris & Kwan 1983
A 1983 rabbit-ear study from Revlon’s research lab. It tested about 30 ingredients, mostly undiluted.
Known pore-clogger
An ingredient a lab test uses as its standard, because it clogs pores in that test. Other results are judged against it.