Ingredient ratings / Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil

Is grape seed oil comedogenic? What the pore-clogging tests found

By Skinredients · Checked against the sources 2026-10-16

Label name

Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil

Also listed as

grape seed oil, grapeseed oil, vitis vinifera seed oil

Comedogenic grade

2–3 / 5 · Borderline (2–3) or reported positive

Tests

• Morris & Kwan 1983: comedogenic 2–3/5 — rabbit ear, undiluted

What the test found

The evidence for grape seed oil rests on a single study: Morris and Kwan, from the Revlon Research Center, published in 1983 [1]. James Fulton’s 1989 survey, the source for most oil grades, did not include it [2].

Morris and Kwan applied each oil undiluted, once daily on weekdays, to the ear canals of three New Zealand rabbits. After 14 applications they compared tissue sections from the treated ear with the untreated one under the microscope. They did not score irritation. Their grape seed oil came from Danco International Corp.

In their vegetable-oil table (Table III), grape seed oil graded 2-3 out of 5. They wrote that most vegetable oils “were negative or produced slight degrees of hyperkeratosis.” Grape seed and sweet almond oils “were more reactive.” Both produced enlarged follicles with extra cell growth in the lining, “containing copious amounts of loose, horny material.”

Grape seed oil is also the oil chosen to illustrate that result in the paper. Figure 3 is a microscope photo of a grape seed oil-treated follicle, captioned “Comedogenic Grade 4” [1]. The table says 2-3 and the caption says 4. The paper does not explain the difference, and the dataset here uses the table value.

Where the evidence is weaker

Fatty-acid content does not explain it neatly. Table III lists each oil’s major fatty acids. For grape seed oil it gives 31% oleic and 62% linoleic acid. The authors saw “a trend toward increased potency in vegetable oils containing comparatively high combinations of unsaturated oleic and linoleic acid esters.” They also report that two oils with 77-84% oleic acid (olive and avocado) “demonstrated no activity.” In addition, safflower oil, listed at 76% linoleic, graded only 1-2 [1]. So grape seed oil’s linoleic acid content does not by itself explain why it scored higher than safflower.

One lab, undiluted, one supplier. Morris and Kwan stress that results vary with “techniques, purity of test samples, biological variations, interpretation criteria,” and they ask investigators to report the source and purity of what they test [1]. Fulton found that more refined grades of several oils, including sesame, avocado and mink, gave better results [2]. No refined-versus-crude comparison exists for grape seed oil.

Dilution may matter a lot. Morris and Kwan cite earlier work by Kligman and Mills. In that work, most vegetable oils showed low comedogenicity, and all of them lost their activity when diluted to 25% in mineral oil [1]. Grape seed oil was only ever tested undiluted, while most face products use far less (see below).

No human data. The CIR’s 2011 review of plant oils includes a quote that edible lipids are not documented to cause problems in normal individuals “except for potential comedogenicity.” No human comedone test of grape seed oil was found [3], and rabbit grades tend to run high (why) [4].

Where it shows up, and how much

Grape seeds contain 6-20% oil, according to the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) 2012 grape-ingredients report. The fatty acids in that oil are mostly linoleic (55%) and oleic (37%) [5].

In the CIR’s 2011 review of plant-derived fatty acid oils, the 2010 data recorded 465 uses of grape seed oil, at 0.001-43%. That was 368 leave-on and 97 rinse-off products [3]. Industry-reported concentrations included:

The Panel concluded the oils it reviewed are safe as used. Grape seed oil was one of them [3, 5].

If you want to avoid it

Oils with lower published grades in this dataset include sunflower oil (0/5 in Fulton 1989) and castor oil (1/5 in Fulton; 0-1 in Morris & Kwan) [1, 2]. Safflower oil scored 0/5 in Fulton and 1-2/5 in Morris & Kwan. Fulton singled out safflower and sunflower oils as “naturally less comedogenic” [2].

Some other oils have less consistent grades:

• Olive oil scored 0 in Morris & Kwan but 2 (refined grade 1) in Fulton.
• Sweet almond oil, grape seed oil’s partner in the “more reactive” group, scored 3 in Morris & Kwan and 2 in Fulton [1, 2].

In a lotion or face cream, grape seed oil usually appears at single-digit percentages, so its position in the ingredient list is a useful clue. A product sold as pure grape seed oil is closer to the undiluted material that was actually tested.

Sources

1. Morris WE, Kwan SC. Use of the rabbit ear model in evaluating the comedogenic potential of cosmetic ingredients. J Soc Cosmet Chem. 1983;34(5):215-225. https://library.scconline.org/v034n05/1
2. Fulton JE Jr. Comedogenicity and irritancy of commonly used ingredients in skin care products. J Soc Cosmet Chem. 1989;40(6):321-333. https://library.scconline.org/v040n06/13
3. Cosmetic Ingredient Review. Draft Final Report of the Plant-Derived Fatty Acid Oils Group (Expert Panel meeting book, March 3-4, 2011; frequency and concentration of use data from 2010). https://www.cir-safety.org/sites/default/files/118_final_oils_web.pdf
4. Mills OH Jr, Kligman AM. A human model for assessing comedogenic substances. Arch Dermatol. 1982;118(11):903-905. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7138047/
5. Cosmetic Ingredient Review. Safety Assessment of Vitis Vinifera (Grape)-Derived Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics (Final Report, October 5, 2012). https://www.cir-safety.org/sites/default/files/vitis092012rep.pdf

Comedogenic grades describe single raw materials tested in a lab, usually on rabbit ears. They are a guide for acne-prone skin, not a prediction for any product or person, and this page is not medical advice. How the scale works.