Ceteareth-60 Myristyl Glycol

TL;DR. This ingredient is a nonionic emulsifier and viscosity builder, mainly used to thicken creams, lotions, gels, and rinse-off surfactant systems. It helps stabilize oil-water mixtures and improve slip and texture.

What does Ceteareth-60 Myristyl Glycol do in a cosmetic formula?

This ingredient is a nonionic emulsifier and viscosity builder, mainly used to thicken creams, lotions, gels, and rinse-off surfactant systems. It helps stabilize oil-water mixtures and improve slip and texture.

Is Ceteareth-60 Myristyl Glycol clean?

From a clean-beauty perspective, it has friction because it is ethoxylated and may carry trace processing residues if not well purified. It is generally low-odor and well tolerated in finished formulas, but many stricter clean standards flag this ingredient class.

Is Ceteareth-60 Myristyl Glycol sustainable?

This material is typically made from fatty alcohol feedstocks plus petrochemical-derived ethoxylation chemistry. It is not known for high environmental persistence, but its renewable profile is limited by synthetic processing and fossil-derived inputs.

Is Ceteareth-60 Myristyl Glycol COSMOS-approved?

It is not aligned with COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic standards because ethoxylated materials are generally not permitted. From a Green Chemistry view, the main drawbacks are petrochemical processing inputs and potential purification burden, even though the functional dose is usually low.

How does Ceteareth-60 Myristyl Glycol work chemically?

The molecule is a high-ethoxylate nonionic amphiphile with a large water-loving polyether segment and fatty hydrophobic chains, which lets it build viscosity through micelle and lamellar network formation. It is commonly used around 0.1% to 3%, works across mildly acidic to neutral systems, and is often paired with anionic or amphoteric surfactants to tune thickness.

Last updated 2026-05-16