Beauty Elixir

The Ordinary · Cleanser · rinse-off

Is The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser pore-clogging or fungal-acne safe?

90%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
13 Tocopherol 2/5 · Mild risk Safe
7 Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride 1/5 · Low Safe
1 Squalane 0/5 · Low Safe
2 Aqua 0/5 · Low Safe
4 Glycerin 0/5 · Low Safe
13 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.

coco-caprylate/capratesucrose stearateethyl macadamiatehydrogenated starch hydrolysatesucrose lauratepolyacrylate crosspolymer-6isoceteth-20sodium polyacrylatehydroxymethoxyphenyl decanonetrisodium ethylenediamine disuccinatemalic acidethylhexylglycerinchlorphenesin

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.

Rinse-off product: cleansers only touch your skin for about a minute, so comedogenic ratings, which come from leave-on tests, matter far less here. Fungal-acne triggers are also less of a concern when rinsed off.

Acne-safe breakdown

We found no ingredients rated 3 or higher in The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser. The ingredients doing most of the work are Squalane, Aqua, Glycerin and Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, which are all low-risk for pores.

Compare The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser

vs Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micellar Watervs CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanservs CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanservs CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanservs CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanservs Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanservs Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanservs COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanservs Mamaearth Vitamin C Face Wash with Vitamin C and Turmeric for Skin Illuminationvs Minimalist Salicylic Acid + LHA 2% Cleanser

Full ingredient list

Squalane, Aqua (Water), Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Glycerin, Sucrose Stearate, Ethyl Macadamiate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Sucrose Laurate, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Isoceteth-20, Sodium Polyacrylate, Tocopherol, Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Decanone, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Malic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Chlorphenesin.

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 Squalane Cleanser pore-clogging?

No. None of its recognised ingredients are known pore-cloggers, and as a rinse-off product it spends little time on the skin anyway.

Is The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser safe for fungal acne?

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

What is the clean score of The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser?

The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser scores 90% on our pore-clog and fungal-acne scan, based on 5 recognised ingredients out of 18.

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