Glyceryl Stearate SE ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a self-emulsifying oil-in-water emulsifier and texture builder, helping oils and water form stable creams and lotions. It also adds body, slip, and a soft conditioning feel.
What does Glyceryl Stearate SE do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a self-emulsifying oil-in-water emulsifier and texture builder, helping oils and water form stable creams and lotions. It also adds body, slip, and a soft conditioning feel.
Is Glyceryl Stearate SE clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it is generally well tolerated, non-sensitizing, and not a common restricted-list concern. The main diagnostic notes are fatty-acid sourcing and the alkaline soap component, which can feel less comfortable in some very low-pH or barrier-impaired formulas.
Is Glyceryl Stearate SE sustainable?
This material is commonly made from vegetable oils, often palm, soy, rapeseed, or coconut, or less commonly animal-derived fats depending on supplier. It is readily biodegradable, and its sustainability profile depends mostly on traceable, certified fatty-acid supply, especially when palm-derived.
Is Glyceryl Stearate SE COSMOS-approved?
It is permitted under COSMOS-natural and can be used in COSMOS-organic formulations when raw-material origin and processing meet the standard. It fits Green Chemistry reasonably well because it can be made from renewable fats or oils, is biodegradable, and uses relatively simple esterification and neutralization chemistry.
How does Glyceryl Stearate SE work chemically?
The material is a fatty-acid glyceride system with a built-in anionic soap fraction, which is why it can emulsify without a separate primary emulsifier. Typical use is about 2 to 6% in creams and lotions, with best performance in mildly acidic to neutral systems and reduced elegance or stability at very low pH.
Last updated 2026-05-13