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Babassu Oil Comedogenicity
Hi all!I’ve been formulating products for personal use for a while and lately I was considering babassu oil for inclusion in an acne cream.Since babassu oil contains about the same amounts of highly comedogenic lauric and myristic acids that make coconut oil highly comedogenic, and these fatty acids comprise most of the oil, just like with coconut, what is it that makes babassu oil non-comedogenic? If I were to look at the composition of babassu oil and didn’t know what I was looking at, 50% lauric acid and 10% myristic acid would look like something to avoid in an acne product.Also, if babassu oil is indeed non-comedogenic, then if you want to formulate an acne cream and are thinking of using lauric acid to combat p. acnes, wouldn’t it make sense to use the non-comedogenic babassu oil at twice the amount you would use the comedogenic pure lauric acid? -
7 Replies
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My own approach is not to use any lipids at all in our anti-acne product.
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Use other oils such as Rosehip or Pomegranate seed. Nut oils are generally causing clogs on pores. Acne may then go away but blackheads will infest.
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Blackheads are plugs which potentiate the commodone cycle.I would avoid all oils with the possible exception of carrot oil which contains beta carotene.
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My own thoughts - and I am just an amateur - are:
1. The literature implicates excessive production of sebum, which is a lipid. Therefore I don’t like the idea of adding more lipids.
2. The mechanism of p.acnes involves the pores blocking so as to form the comedone. Therefore, I don’t like the idea of using anything that is occlusive.
3. Consider what you want to achieve. For me, the aims were to kill the bacteria; to reduce inflammation; to control sebum production; and moisturise, without using salicylic acid. -
I agree with Belassi and Dr. Bob: skip all oils, no matter the fatty acid profile.
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I’m an Esthetician and I’d skip the oils too!
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I’ve used mineral oil with great success.
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