Causing or aggravating acne.
[From New Latin comedo, from Latin comed (glutton, from the worm-shaped pasty mass that can be squeezed from the hair follicles; from the name formerly given to worms which feed on the body), from comedere (to eat up), from com- + edere (to eat) + -genic (producing), from Greek -gens (born).]
This term in its negative form is often found on bottles and tubes of cosmetics. It's put there by marketers as a select blend of technical terms (pH-balanced is another example) to make the concoction appear high-tech. That and the bilingual labeling of the packaging (in French, even though the product is sold to English-speaking populace) assure customers that the product will take 10 years off the users' age.
"Any makeup should be non-comedogenic, if it's worn at all."
Acne Reasons; The Indian Express (New Delhi, India); Feb 23, 2005.
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http://wordsmith.org/words/comedogenic.html
Posted by Keya at May 10, 2005 08:33 PM