Coconut oil for acne: does it clog pores?

No trial has tested coconut oil on acne, so no source shows that it helps. The advice for acne-prone skin is to avoid oils. NICE, which writes the acne guideline for England, says people with acne should "avoid oil-based and comedogenic preparations". Comedogenic means able to clog pores. This page is part of Skinli's guide to home remedies for acne.

Skinli gives general education and is not a doctor. For the studies below, Skinli read the published summaries (abstracts), one full review and, for one report, only the title. No source read for this guide gives a way to use coconut oil on acne, so this page gives none.

No study has tested coconut oil on acne

The searches run for this guide found no study of coconut oil on acne in people. The NHS acne page and the NICE guideline do not mention it, and the word "coconut" appears on none of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) pages read for this guide.

The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) names coconut oil once on the pages read here: "There's not enough scientific evidence to recommend tea tree oil; olive, garlic, coconut oils; and Manuka honey as remedies for impetigo". Impetigo is a bacterial skin infection, and it is a different condition from acne.

Lauric acid and acne bacteria: dish and mouse studies

The idea that coconut oil could help acne comes from one of its fats, lauric acid. A 2017 review of plant oils lists lauric acid as 49 percent of the fatty acids in coconut oil. Three laboratory studies tested lauric acid against the acne bacterium, which the papers call P. acnes. Other oils have their own short guides: castor oil, jojoba oil and rosehip oil.

Study	What was tested	What it found
Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2009	Pure lauric acid, in a dish and on mouse ears	In the dish, it stopped bacterial growth at concentrations "over 15 times lower than those of benzoyl peroxide (BPO)". On mice, it "effectively decreased the number of P. acnes colonized with mouse ears"
Biomaterials, 2009	Lauric acid (LA) and two other fats in a dish, then lauric acid packed into tiny fat bubbles made to carry drugs	"LA gives the strongest bactericidal activity against P. acnes." Bactericidal means able to kill bacteria. The paper also names a problem: "a setback of using LA as a potential treatment for inflammatory acne is its poor water solubility."
Journal of Dermatological Science, 2014	Lauric acid and capric acid, another fat in coconut oil, in a dish and in mice	"both fatty acids attenuated P. acnes-induced ear swelling in mice". Attenuated means reduced

These results have three limits. The studies used pure lauric acid, and in coconut oil the lauric acid is bound inside fat molecules together with other fats. None of the three tested coconut oil. No person was treated.

The 2009 authors wrote that their data "highlight the potential of using lauric acid as an alternative treatment for antibiotic therapy of acne vulgaris." Acne vulgaris is the medical name for common acne. That sentence describes a possible future drug, and the searches run for this guide found no trial of it in people.

Coconut oil as a moisturizer: trials in eczema and dry skin

Coconut oil has been tested in people for other skin problems.

• Children with eczema. A trial counted 117 children. After 8 weeks, "Mean SCORAD indices decreased from baseline by 68.23% in the VCO group and by 38.13% in the mineral oil group". SCORAD is a score for how severe eczema is, and VCO is virgin coconut oil.
• Adults with eczema. 52 adults used virgin coconut oil or virgin olive oil (VOO) for 4 weeks, 26 on each. The trial counted a skin bacterium called Staphylococcus aureus, which is a different species from the acne bacterium: "Post intervention, only 1 (5%) VCO subject remained positive versus 6 (50%) of those on VOO."
• Adults with dry skin. 34 patients put coconut oil or mineral oil on their legs for 2 weeks. The conclusion: "Coconut oil is as effective and safe as mineral oil when used as a moisturizer."

None of these summaries reports anything about pimples. In dry skin and eczema, the outer layer of the skin holds too little water. Acne starts in a different way, which the next section covers.

Plant oils also differ from each other. In a 2013 study with 19 adult volunteers, olive oil used on the forearm for 4 weeks weakened the outer layer of the skin and caused mild redness. Its authors wrote: "These findings challenge the unfounded belief that all natural oils are beneficial for the skin and highlight the need for further research."

Does coconut oil clog pores?

No trial has measured this on the faces of people with acne. The sources give three related facts.

How a pimple starts. The NHS says: "Acne can happen when hair follicles (where hair grows on the skin) become blocked with excess oil and dead skin cells." Among the causes of acne it lists "products you use on your skin or hair that can make your skin greasy".

The advice on oil-based products.

• NICE: "Advise people with acne who use skin care products (for example, moisturisers) and sunscreens to avoid oil-based and comedogenic preparations."
• The AAD: "Some makeup, along with many skin and hair care products, contain oil or other ingredients that can cause acne breakouts." For oily skin it says: "DO choose skin care products that are labeled "oil free" and "noncomedogenic.""
• MedlinePlus, the health site of the US National Library of Medicine: "Avoid oil-based cosmetics."
• The NHS page on emollients, which are moisturizing treatments, lists among their possible skin reactions "blocked or inflamed hair follicles (folliculitis) that may cause boils" and "rashes on the face that can aggravate acne".

The one report in a person. A 1988 paper has the title "Comedones induced by coconut oil in a borderline tuberculoid lesion." Comedones are clogged pores, the blackheads and whiteheads of acne. A borderline tuberculoid lesion is a patch of skin affected by leprosy. Only the title could be read. It is the one record found on PubMed that links coconut oil with clogged pores in a person.

Why this page gives no rating number

No source read for this guide gives a "comedogenic rating" for coconut oil, so this page prints none.

A 2006 paper in the AAD's journal explains where such lists began: "Animal models were originally used to determine the comedogenic potential of raw materials with the assumption that finished formulations containing these ingredients would also be comedogenic." A 1984 paper that used rabbit ears admits the test "is not an ideal animal model but is the best we have", and its summary does not name coconut oil. The 2006 authors then tested finished products on the backs of six people and concluded: "Finished products using comedogenic ingredients are not necessarily comedogenic."

For a label, the AAD says to look for "Oil-free", "Non-comedogenic" or "Won't clog pores" on a moisturizer: "When you see one of these descriptions, it means that the moisturizer is unlikely to cause acne." A jar of plain coconut oil cannot be oil-free. Skinli's guide to what non-comedogenic means covers the label in full.

MedlinePlus adds a caution that applies to every product: "Remember that products that say they are noncomedogenic might still cause acne in you personally." Its advice follows: "Therefore, avoid any product that you find makes your acne worse."

Eating coconut oil, and other questions no source answers

• Coconut oil in food. No study read for this guide looked at eating coconut oil and acne. NICE says: "Advise people that there is not enough evidence to support specific diets for treating acne."
• Coconut oil left on overnight. No study tested it.
• Which coconut oil. The trials above used virgin coconut oil on dry or eczema-prone skin. No source compares types for acne. The FDA says: "FDA doesn't have regulations defining "natural" or "organic" for cosmetics."
• Coconut oil with baking soda or honey. No study of either mix on acne was found. See the pages on baking soda for acne and honey for acne.

What the AAD, the NHS and the FDA rule support

Source	What it names
AAD, for a deep, painful pimple	"Choose a product that contains one of these acne-fighting active ingredients: adapalene, azelaic acid, benzoyl peroxide, or salicylic acid."
AAD, for dry skin with acne	"If your skin feels dry, apply a moisturizer made for acne-prone skin."
NHS acne page	"use skincare and make-up products that are non-comedogenic (this means they will not clog pores)"
FDA rule for acne drugs sold without a prescription	Benzoyl peroxide at 2.5 to 10 percent, salicylic acid at 0.5 to 2 percent, sulfur at 3 to 10 percent, and sulfur combined with resorcinol

No plant oil is on the FDA list. Adapalene is a retinoid, a medicine related to vitamin A, and the AAD says acne treatment that contains it is sold online and in stores. The AAD's acne pages name a maker of prescription acne drugs as their supporter. The guide on how to choose a moisturizer for acne-prone skin covers the dry skin question.

When to see a doctor

Stop using a product that seems to bring more pimples, as MedlinePlus advises. If skin turns red, itchy or swollen after a product, the AAD says to "gently wash the product off as soon as possible, and don't use it again." It also warns: "Even "natural" or "clean" skin care products can cause a skin reaction."

Bumps that appear after an oily product are not always acne. The AAD says: "A skin infection called folliculitis can also be mistaken for acne." A doctor can say which one it is.

For the acne itself, the NHS says to see a GP, which is a family doctor, if "you've tried treating it yourself but it's not getting better", or if "you have lots of spots, or the spots are deep, painful or causing scars". The AAD says to see a dermatologist when acne causes cysts and nodules, which are deep blemishes that can leave scars, or when acne has not cleared with treatment you can buy without a prescription.