Ingredient · absorbent

Kaolin

Kaolin is an absorbent: it soaks up oil and gives a more matte finish. Pori's ingredient rules rate it a good fit for oily and combination skin types.

Kaolin at a glance

FunctionAbsorbent
Comedogenic rating0/5
Irritation potentialLow
Also listed asNone
How commonOn 378 of 21,918 product labels in Pori's copy of Open Beauty Facts

What does Kaolin help with?

In Pori's database it's linked to oiliness, visible pores. How much it helps depends on how high it sits on the label: ingredients are listed from most to least, and anything past roughly the tenth spot is usually present at 1% or less.

Is Kaolin good for my skin type?

These ratings come from the same fixed rules Pori's ingredient scanner uses, applied to a typical profile for each skin type. Your own result in the app also weighs your scan results and concerns.

Skin typeRatingWhy
NormalNeutralAbsorbent
DryNeutralAbsorbent
OilyGood fitAbsorbent
CombinationGood fitAbsorbent
SensitiveNeutralAbsorbent

Is Kaolin comedogenic?

It has a comedogenic rating of 0 out of 5 in Pori's ingredient database, so it's unlikely to clog pores. Ratings like this come from older tests on single ingredients, and a finished product with it isn't necessarily pore-clogging. A 2006 study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that finished products made with comedogenic ingredients were not necessarily comedogenic, so treat the number as a hint, not a verdict.

Which products contain Kaolin?

Products in Pori's curated catalogue that list it as a key ingredient:

  • Acure Incredibly Clear Charcoal Lemonade Cleansing Clay (cleanser)
  • bareMinerals Poreless Clay Cleanser (cleanser)
  • Boscia Charcoal Pore Pudding intensive wash-off treatment (cleanser)
  • Honest Beauty Magic Gel-to-Milk Cleanser (cleanser)
  • Kiehl's Age Defender Dual Action Exfoliating Cleanser (cleanser)
  • Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Cleanser (cleanser)
  • Pacifica Kale Detox Deep Cleaning Face Wash (cleanser)
  • Shiseido Clarifying Cleansing Foam (cleanser)

How do I check a product with Kaolin?

Scan the barcode or photograph the ingredient list with Pori's ingredient scanner (a Pro feature). It rates every ingredient for your skin type, flags fragrance, pore-clogging and irritating ingredients, and gives the product an overall match score. It's a guide to ingredients, not a diagnosis, so see a dermatologist about any reaction.

Keep reading

Ingredient data from Pori's ingredient database; product counts from Open Beauty Facts (ODbL). General information, not medical advice.