C13-14 Isoparaffin ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is used as a lightweight emollient, solvent, and slip agent that helps dissolve oil-soluble materials and reduce a greasy feel. It can also support spreadability and water-resistant film feel in creams, lotions, makeup, and hair products.
What does C13-14 Isoparaffin do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is used as a lightweight emollient, solvent, and slip agent that helps dissolve oil-soluble materials and reduce a greasy feel. It can also support spreadability and water-resistant film feel in creams, lotions, makeup, and hair products.
Is C13-14 Isoparaffin clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it is usually flagged for petroleum origin and restricted-list friction rather than high routine skin irritation. Highly refined grades are typically well tolerated on skin, but frameworks focused on renewability and environmental persistence tend to rate it poorly.
Is C13-14 Isoparaffin sustainable?
This material is fossil-derived and not readily biodegradable, so it has a weaker sustainability profile than plant-derived esters or oils. Its production depends on petrochemical refining, and release to the environment can contribute to persistent hydrocarbon residues.
Is C13-14 Isoparaffin COSMOS-approved?
It is not permitted under COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic standards because it is a synthetic petrochemical material. It has limited Green Chemistry alignment due to nonrenewable feedstock, low biodegradability, and reliance on conventional hydrocarbon processing.
How does C13-14 Isoparaffin work chemically?
The molecule is not a single molecule but a purified mixture of highly branched, saturated C13 to C14 hydrocarbons with very low polarity and strong resistance to oxidation. It is pH-inert, water-insoluble, and typically needs emulsifiers or solubilizing systems when used in water-based formulas.
Last updated 2026-05-13