Decyl Oleate
Decyl oleate is rated 3 on our list, in the moderate band, and the number is traced: Fulton 1989 graded it 3 and Morris and Kwan 1983 graded it 3.
Like every rating here, it is for the raw ingredient tested alone, and a label does not print how much of it a product holds.
Is decyl oleate comedogenic?
Decyl Oleate is rated 3 on the comedogenic scale, which is the moderate band.
A skin-conditioning ester used to make products spread easily and feel less greasy.
- Comedogenic rating
- 3 out of 5
- Band
- Moderate: Borderline plugging in the rabbit-ear test. Worth a look in a leave-on product.
- Where the number comes from
- Traced to Fulton 1989 and Morris and Kwan 1983. The section on who rated it prints each grade.
- Composition
- Ester / Emollient / Fatty Acids & Derivatives
- Also written as
- No common variants recorded
What a 3 means in practice
Three is the middle of the scale. Fulton 1989 counted 2 to 3 as borderline in the rabbit-ear test: some plugging of the follicles, short of a clear positive. Whether it matters depends on how high it sits on the label and whether the product stays on your skin.
Two things change what this number is worth. Ingredients are listed in descending order of concentration, so decyl oleate near the top of a label matters far more than decyl oleate at the bottom. And the rating describes the raw ingredient on its own. A 2006 review in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that a rating for a single ingredient does not reliably predict how a finished formula behaves on human skin. The full story of the scale is here.
Who rated it
Our list gives decyl oleate 3. These are the figures the published rabbit-ear studies we have read give it, as printed in each paper's table.
| Paper | Grade | Tested as |
|---|---|---|
| Fulton 1989 | Grade 3 | Tested as Decyl oleate |
| Morris and Kwan 1983 | Grade 3 | Tested as Decyl Oleate |
Our list's figure is within what these papers report.
Others in the same family
Fungal acne
Decyl Oleate matches rule 2, ester of a C12 to C24 fatty acid , on the fungal acne checker. An ester of oleic acid, C18. The rule comes from lab studies of what Malassezia yeast can feed on, and it is not a verdict on any product.
Common questions
- Is decyl oleate comedogenic?
- Decyl Oleate is rated 3 on the comedogenic scale, which is the moderate band.
- Is decyl oleate non comedogenic?
- No. Decyl Oleate is rated 3 on the comedogenic scale, which is the moderate band. That is a published rating for the ingredient rather than a verdict on any product containing it.
- What is decyl oleate's comedogenic rating?
- 3 out of 5 on our list. It is classed as Ester / Emollient / Fatty Acids & Derivatives.
Sources we checked this rating against
- Kligman AM, Kwong T. “An improved rabbit ear model for assessing comedogenic substances.” British Journal of Dermatology, June 1979;100(6):699–702. (opens in a new tab) The rabbit-ear assay behind published 0 to 5 comedogenicity grades.
- Fulton JE Jr. “Comedogenicity and irritancy of commonly used ingredients in skin care products.” Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists, November/December 1989;40(6):321–333. (opens in a new tab) Rabbit ear. Each ingredient at 10 percent in propylene glycol unless stated, applied five days a week for two weeks, and graded 0 to 5 from the width of the follicles, measured by micrometer and under the microscope. The paper counts 0 to 1 as not significant, 2 to 3 as borderline and 4 to 5 as positive. Some grades depended on the supplier of the raw material, and some oils were also tested refined.
- Morris WE, Kwan SC. “Use of the rabbit ear model in evaluating the comedogenic potential of cosmetic ingredients.” Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists, August 1983;34(5):215–225. (opens in a new tab) Rabbit ear canal, at the Revlon Research Center. Each material applied undiluted unless stated, once a day five days a week for 14 applications, and graded 0 to 5 by microscope only. The authors set out to recheck earlier results because investigators disagreed.
- Draelos ZD, DiNardo JC. “A re-evaluation of the comedogenicity concept.” Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, March 2006;54(3):507–512. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2005.11.1058 (opens in a new tab) Tested finished products on the backs of six people and concluded that “Finished products using comedogenic ingredients are not necessarily comedogenic.”