Rare Beauty, the makeup and beauty line by Selena Gomez, aims to be ultra inclusive, especially when it comes to their flagship product, the Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation. It claims to be non-comedogenic (or free of pore-clogging ingredients) and safe for sensitive skin. But at Curology, we’re all for sharing the truth about skincare, which has us wondering: can Rare Beauty cause breakouts? 

Keep reading to learn all about the basics of comedogenic ingredients, the ingredients in Rare Beauty, and what that means for your skin.

What is Rare Beauty?

Actress, producer, and singer Selena Gomez started her venture into the makeup industry in 2020, and since its launch, her brand Rare Beauty has gained widespread social media attention. The cosmetics line includes a range of products, including foundation, concealer, mascara, and blush that claims to be dermatologist-tested, non-comedogenic, and safe for sensitive skin.

With a wide range of shades for all products, Rare Beauty aims to be inclusive and celebrate everyone’s unique beauty by offering many different shades of foundation and concealer to match your skin tone. (For what it’s worth, we’re not affiliated with Rare Beauty, and we never make a commission off of products we recommend on our blog).

Why is it important to wear non-comedogenic makeup?

What exactly does “comedogenic” mean, and why should you care about it when it comes to your skin? Comodegenic simply means pore-clogging. Pimples can occur from pores that are blocked with dead skin cells, sweat, oil, and in some cases, product residue like makeup.¹ If you have acne-prone skin, you may want to pay special attention to your products’ potential pore-clogging ingredients.

Unfortunately, there are no regulations around using the word non-comedogenic. So a company may label a product as free of pore-clogging ingredients, but that may not be completely true.² This is why we recommend checking the individual ingredients yourself when it comes to selecting products for your skin.

Many people can wear makeup without experiencing breakouts. So good news if you are a makeup lover that wants to keep your skin clear, it is possible to do both as long as you are conscious of the ingredients in your skincare and beauty products. Remember, every skin type is beautiful with or without makeup; just do whatever makes you feel good. Whether that’s rocking some dramatic makeup or just focusing on your skincare, we’re sure you look great.

Is Rare Beauty’s foundation non-comedogenic?

Image via Rare Beauty

Rare Beauty’s Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation boasts an impressive 48 shades to work with a wide range of skin types. It’s a medium-coverage foundation with a natural finish that is intended to enhance your skin’s glow. It’s also vegan and cruelty-free. So, is it skin-friendly? The short answer is … yes!

Shade Chart via Rare Beauty

Rare Beauty’s foundation is a good choice for acne-prone and sensitive skin. This foundation doesn’t contain any of the more common pore-clogging components, so essentially, when Rare Beauty says their Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation is non-comedogenic and non-irritating, the ingredients they use to support their claims.³ That said, it’s important to remember that everyone’s skin is different. So while this foundation may not contain the typical culprits when it comes to clogging those pores, it may not be the perfect fit for your unique skin.

This product might not be for you if you prefer a full-coverage foundation or super lightweight products like tinted moisturizers. Rare Beauty foundation also contains dimethicone, a silicone ingredient that is meant to help the foundation appear smooth on the skin.⁴ But silicones aren’t for everyone—some people find they’re difficult to blend into the skin. So if that’s you, it may be best to pass on this particular product altogether.

What are other non-comedogenic products from Rare Beauty?

Thinking of trying something from Rare Beauty other than their foundation, but want to make sure it won’t clog your pores? Here are a few other Rare Beauty products that are also non-comedogenic:

Liquid touch brightening concealer

If you want to add some extra coverage to your foundation or lighten up circles under your eyes after a sleepless night (we all get them!), Rare Beauty’s brightening concealer comes in the same 48 shades as the foundation and is also non-comedogenic. 

Warm wishes, effortless bronzer stick

This ultra-creamy bronzer stick claims to give your skin a healthy, golden glow. The product is water-resistant and non-comedogenic, so you can add some shimmer without clogging your pores.

Always an Optimist 4 In 1 Mist

This mist is meant to be super nourishing and hydrating for your skin, with a formula that includes niacinamide, sodium hyaluronate, and a blend of gardenia, lotus, and  white water lily. And yes, this product is also free of pore-clogging ingredients!

Always an Optimist Pore Diffusing Primer

This primer aims to give you a perfectly smooth canvas for makeup by helping to reduce fine lines. The formula is made with hyaluronic acid, and the primer claims to have a mattifying effect on the skin. 

Stay Vulnerable Melting Blush

This liquid blush is packed with pigments to give you a rosy glow without pore-clogging ingredients. If you’re prone to breakouts, you’re probably better off with the Stay Vulnerable Melting Blush.

Pros and cons of Rare Beauty

Every beauty brand has its upsides and downsides, so let’s take a look at some of Rare Beauty’s.

Pros: 

Non-comedogenic. Wearing makeup is difficult when it comes to taking care of your skin, so Rare beauty’s non-comedogenic formula is a great step to help you keep your skin clear. 

Inclusive beauty line. Wide range of shades for all products. Rare Beauty aims to be inclusive and celebrate everyone’s unique beauty, so it’s only fitting the brand offers many different shades of foundation and concealer to match your skin tone. Cruelty-free. Some makeup brands will utilize animal testing when making their products. Luckily Rare Beauty is a cruelty-free brand, so no animals were harmed making the products. Unfortunately, there are no regulations around using the phrase cruelty-free, so it can be difficult to tell if the brand actually is committed to creating products without animal testing.⁵ Animal rights organization PETA has a list of companies that they consider cruelty-free, and Rare Beauty passes its test.⁶

Buildable products. Rare Beauty’s face products are specifically designed to be buildable onto each other. Whether you decide to wear a full face or go for a super-light day look, you can easily layer the concealer, foundation, and blush on top of each other.

Cons:

No SPF. Foundations, concealers, and lip products with broad-spectrum SPF are always a plus to help keep your skin protected from the sun’s UV rays. Rare Beauty’s unfortunately contains none.

Not oil-free. The silky serum-like consistency of the foundation contains sunflower seed oil. If you prefer products that are oil-free, this foundation may not be the right fit for you. Additionally, this product is intended to give a dewy look, so if you have oily skin and prefer something more matte, this may not be your go-to beauty product. 

Not every product is non-comedogenic. While some Rare Beauty products are free of comedogenic components, the cosmetic line is not completely free of ingredients known to clog pores. Always be sure to check the product’s ingredient list to ensure it’s entirely non-comedogenic.

When it comes to your skincare routine, we know it can be a little overwhelming to know what is good for your skin. Our goal is to give you information so you can feel confident in the products you put on your skin. 

When it comes to treating your acne, you can be sure our dermatologist-designed products are non-comedogenic and personalized for your unique skin. Feel free to sign up for a free month of Curology if you haven’t yet!

Get your personalized skincare routine with Curology

Get your personalized skincare routine with Curology

Start your skin quiz

Just snap a few selfies and take a quick skin quiz to be matched with one of our in-house medical providers who will review your unique situation. If we can help, we’ll prescribe you a Custom Formula with a mix of three active ingredients for your skin concerns. Add on your choice of moisturizer and any other Curology product at no extra cost—you’ll just pay $4.95 (plus tax) to cover shipping and handling on your first box.

P.S. we did the research so you don’t have to:

1. Cleveland Clinic. Acne, (2020).

2.  Emily Boozalis & Shivani Patel., Clinical utility of marketing terms used for over-the-counter dermatologic products, Journal of Dermatological Treatment, (2018).

3. Fulton J. E., et al, Comedogenicity of current therapeutic products, cosmetics, and ingredients in the rabbit ear. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. (1984, January 1).

4. Chularojanamontri, Leena et al. Moisturizers for Acne: What are their Constituents?. The Journal of clinical and aesthetic dermatology. (May 2014).

5. Wohlrab, Johannes, and Daniela Kreft. Niacinamide - mechanisms of action and its topical use in dermatology. Skin pharmacology and physiology. (2014, June 27). 

6.  Food and Drug Administration. Cruelty Free/ Not Tested On Animals. (2020, August 24).

7. Peta. Rare Beauty. Cruelty Free Peta. (n.d.).

This article was originally published on November 16, 2020, and updated on May 2, 2022.

We’re here to tell you what we know. That’s why our information is evidence-based and fact-checked by medical experts. Still, everyone’s skin is unique—the best way to get advice is to talk to your healthcare provider.

*Cancel anytime. Subject to consultation. Results may vary.

Written by

Stephanie Papanikolas

Medically reviewed by

Allison Buckley, NP-C