Glyceryl Strearate ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is primarily a nonionic emulsifier and texture builder, helping oil and water stay blended while adding body, slip, and a creamier feel to lotions and creams.
What does Glyceryl Strearate do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is primarily a nonionic emulsifier and texture builder, helping oil and water stay blended while adding body, slip, and a creamier feel to lotions and creams.
Is Glyceryl Strearate clean?
It is generally well tolerated, low in sensitization concern, and not a common clean-standard restricted-list material. The main clean-beauty note is sourcing transparency, since vegetable-derived supply can overlap with palm supply chains.
Is Glyceryl Strearate sustainable?
This material is commonly made from glycerin and fatty acids from vegetable oils, though animal or mixed-origin supply is possible unless specified. It is readily biodegradable, with the biggest sustainability variable usually tied to palm certification and traceability.
Is Glyceryl Strearate COSMOS-approved?
It is permitted in COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic formulas when sourced and processed according to the standard. It fits Green Chemistry reasonably well when made from renewable feedstocks, with good biodegradability and no persistent-silicone or petrochemical-polymer profile.
How does Glyceryl Strearate work chemically?
The molecule is a nonionic monoester built from glycerol and a saturated C18 fatty chain, giving it both water-affinitive and oil-affinitive regions. It is typically used around 0.5% to 5%, melts near the mid-50s to low-60s °C, and often needs co-emulsifiers or fatty alcohols for stronger emulsion stability.
Last updated 2026-05-15