#WOTW: Wonder What “Non-Comedogenic” Really Means?

Among all the beauty jargon that’s thrown around these days, you’d agree that most of the terms leave your head reeling. Few make the effort to actually Google these terms and understand what they really mean. “Non-Comedogenic” is one term you’ll come across often, especially while reading the labels on various skincare products. You’ll know this especially if you have oily, acne-prone skin.

It would be far simpler to understand what non-comedogenic means if you know the meaning of comedogenic. Comedogenic basically means that the ingredients in a product block pores, thereby promoting comedones (plural of comedo). Comedo refers to an acne lesion caused by clogged pores. Pores are the tiny openings on your skin. Each pore has a hair follicle, which is like a sac from which the hair grows out. This is also where pimples begin to form. When there’s excess sebum (oil) formation in your body, it combines with dead skin cells and bacteria (P. acnes) to block the pore which leads to a comedo. A comedo can be whiteheads (clogged pores that are closed on the skin’s surface), blackheads (clogged pores that are open —  sebum in the pores oxidises on contact with oxygen in the air and turns black), or pustules (clogged pores below the surface of the skin).

So what this means in the simplest words is that non-comedogenic products do not penetrate into your skin and block pores, thereby reducing the chances of developing acne. While non-comedogenic products do not claim to prevent acne, dermatologists recommend products with non-comedogenic ingredients to people who have oily, and/or acne-prone skin. However, everyone can use non-comedogenic products to clear their pores of acne-causing bacteria.