Beauty Elixir

The Ordinary · Serum · leave-on

Is The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane pore-clogging or fungal-acne safe?

83%clean
Mild risk

No heavy pore-cloggers found, but 1 ingredient is rated 2. Most people are fine; very acne-prone skin should watch for small bumps.

Fungal-acne safe

No known Malassezia triggers among the recognised ingredients.

#IngredientPoresFungal acneIrritancy
3 Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil 2/5 · Mild risk Safe
2 Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride 1/5 · Low Safe
1 Squalane 0/5 · Low Safe
5 ingredients not in our pore-clogging database

These have no published comedogenic rating in our data. Most are preservatives, fragrance, extracts or actives that are not known pore-cloggers.

retinolsolanum lycopersicum fruit extractrosmarinus officinalis leaf extracthydroxymethoxyphenyl decanonebht

Ingredients rated 3–5 that appear after position 15 are usually present below about 1%, so they are shown as "Low amount" and do not trigger the pore-clog alert. Ratings come from the Fulton comedogenic scale (0–5) and published Malassezia research. They are a rough guide: the concentration and the whole formula matter, and everyone's skin is different.

Acne-safe breakdown

We found no ingredients rated 3 or higher in The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane. The ingredients doing most of the work are Squalane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride and Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, which are all low-risk for pores.

Compare The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane

vs CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serumvs CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serumvs Minimalist Alpha Arbutin 2% Face Serumvs Minimalist Niacinamide 10% Face Serumvs Minimalist Retinol 0.3% Face Serumvs Minimalist Salicylic Acid 2% Face Serumvs Minimalist Vitamin C 10% Face Serumvs Plum 15% Vitamin C & Mandarin Glow Boost Serumvs The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HAvs The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%

Full ingredient list

Squalane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Retinol, Solanum Lycopersicum (Tomato) Fruit Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Decanone, BHT.

Source: official The Ordinary product page, checked 27 Sep 2026. Formulas vary by country and change over time, so always check your pack.

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Frequently asked questions

Is The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane pore-clogging?

Mild risk. No heavy pore-cloggers found, but 1 ingredient is rated 2. Most people are fine; very acne-prone skin should watch for small bumps.

Is The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane safe for fungal acne?

Yes. None of its recognised ingredients are known fungal-acne triggers.

What is the clean score of The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane?

The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane scores 83% on our pore-clog and fungal-acne scan, based on 3 recognised ingredients out of 8.

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