C20-40 Alkyl Stearate ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a waxy emollient and texture builder that adds slip, cushion, and water-resistant film formation in creams, sticks, balms, and color cosmetics.
What does C20-40 Alkyl Stearate do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a waxy emollient and texture builder that adds slip, cushion, and water-resistant film formation in creams, sticks, balms, and color cosmetics.
Is C20-40 Alkyl Stearate clean?
It is generally well tolerated, non-sensitizing, and not a common restricted-list concern in clean beauty frameworks. The main clean-standard friction is traceability, since commercial grades can come from either natural-origin fatty feedstocks or petrochemical routes.
Is C20-40 Alkyl Stearate sustainable?
This material may be sourced from plant-derived fatty materials, animal-free synthetic routes, or petrochemical feedstocks, so supplier documentation matters. It is expected to biodegrade like many long-chain wax esters, but its high molecular weight and low water solubility can make breakdown slower than small, water-soluble ingredients.
Is C20-40 Alkyl Stearate COSMOS-approved?
It can align with COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic only when made from permitted natural-origin fatty feedstocks and processed through allowed chemistry. From a Green Chemistry view, the best fit is a renewable, well-documented grade with low residual solvents and good biodegradability, while petrochemical grades are a weaker fit.
How does C20-40 Alkyl Stearate work chemically?
This compound is a mixture of long-chain fatty esters, giving it a high melting point, waxy feel, low polarity, and strong compatibility with oils and other structuring lipids. It is typically used as a consistency agent or emollient in anhydrous and emulsion systems, and it is stable across normal cosmetic pH because it sits mainly in the oil phase.
Last updated 2026-05-16