Cetyl Stearate ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a waxy emollient and consistency builder. It helps give creams, balms, sticks, and lotions a smoother feel, more body, and a richer glide.
What does Cetyl Stearate do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a waxy emollient and consistency builder. It helps give creams, balms, sticks, and lotions a smoother feel, more body, and a richer glide.
Is Cetyl Stearate clean?
It has a strong clean-beauty profile, with low irritation potential and no major restricted-list friction in typical personal care use. Sensitivity is uncommon, though very rich waxy formulas may feel heavy on oily or congestion-prone skin.
Is Cetyl Stearate sustainable?
This material is commonly made from fatty alcohol and fatty acid feedstocks that may be plant-derived, often palm or coconut, or occasionally animal-derived unless specified by the supplier. It is expected to be readily biodegradable, with the main sustainability question usually tied to feedstock traceability and certified palm sourcing.
Is Cetyl Stearate COSMOS-approved?
It is generally permitted in COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic products when made from approved natural-origin feedstocks through allowed esterification. Its Green Chemistry fit is good when renewable inputs, traceable sourcing, and low-residue processing are used.
How does Cetyl Stearate work chemically?
The molecule is a saturated long-chain wax ester with very low water solubility, giving it a firm, non-polar, occlusive-feeling structure. It is typically used around 1 to 10 percent for texture and emollience, melts in the roughly 50 to 60 °C range, is oxidation-stable, and is mainly vulnerable to hydrolysis under strongly acidic or alkaline conditions.
Last updated 2026-05-13