Ingredient · dataset v56
Oleth-10 and fungal acne
No known trigger
Why it's not a known trigger
An ethoxylated fatty alcohol: the fatty chain is locked behind an ether bond to the PEG chain, and Malassezia yeast's documented cutters are ester-cutters that free fatty acids from esters — no ether-cleavage record exists, so the chain is not shown to become food.
Class-level call. The free fatty alcohols themselves stay flagged; this covers only the PEG-bound ether form. Solubilizer/enhancer roles are adjunct effects, not substrates. Commercial ethoxylates can contain small amounts of unreacted free fatty alcohol (more likely in low-ethoxylated grades, e.g. -2 to -5). Not considered significant at typical use levels; the free fatty alcohols themselves remain flagged.
Evidence strength
Judged neutral — no trigger evidence
Function
Ethoxylate
Related ethoxylate
- C12-14 Pareth-12 — No known trigger
- Ceteareth-60 — No known trigger
- Laureth-23 — No known trigger
- Trideceth-15 — No known trigger
- Trideceth-3 — No known trigger
- Trideceth-6 — No known trigger
Sources
- Brunke & Hube 2006 — MfLIP1 extracellular lipase hydrolyses Tweens (Microbiology)
- Juntachai et al. 2011 — MgLIP2 secreted lipase, esterase vs palmitate esters (Microbiology)
- Mayser et al. 1995 — ester hydrolysis depends on alcohol moiety (Acta Derm Venereol)
- EU CosIng database — search the INCI name
Last reviewed: 2026-10-13 (dataset v56).
Questions
Does Oleth-10 trigger fungal acne?
No known trigger: An ethoxylated fatty alcohol: the fatty chain is locked behind an ether bond to the PEG chain, and the yeast's documented cutters are ester-cutters that free fatty acids from esters — no ether-cleavage record exists, so the chain is not shown to become food.
Does Oleth-10 feed Malassezia?
No known link: Oleth-10 is judged with no known trigger. One screened ingredient is not a product verdict — when in doubt, ask a dermatologist.
Is this medical advice?
No. We screen ingredient lists; we never diagnose, treat, or certify products. When in doubt, ask a dermatologist.
Check a full list containing Oleth-10 →
Not medical advice: we screen ingredient lists for potential triggers — we never diagnose, treat, or certify products. Dataset v56.