HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is primarily an oil-phase thickener and structuring agent, helping balms, sticks, creams, and anhydrous formulas hold shape and improve glide. It can also help suspend pigments or insoluble particles in oily systems.
What does HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is primarily an oil-phase thickener and structuring agent, helping balms, sticks, creams, and anhydrous formulas hold shape and improve glide. It can also help suspend pigments or insoluble particles in oily systems.
Is HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it is generally well tolerated, low in irritation potential, and not a common restricted-list concern. Processing is straightforward compared with many synthetic polymers or silicone structuring agents.
Is HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL sustainable?
This material is plant-derived from a renewable oilseed crop and is expected to biodegrade more readily than persistent synthetic film formers. Its main sustainability considerations are agricultural sourcing, traceability, and the energy and catalyst use associated with hydrogenation.
Is HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL COSMOS-approved?
It is generally permitted under COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic when sourced and processed according to the standard. It fits Green Chemistry reasonably well because it comes from renewable feedstock, uses a simple saturation step, and has low persistence concerns.
How does HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL work chemically?
The molecule is a it triglyceride, meaning the original unsaturated fatty chains have been converted into more saturated, wax-like chains with improved oxidative stability. It is water-insoluble, melts at roughly 85 to 88°C, and is commonly used around 0.5 to 10%, with higher levels possible in sticks and solid balms.
Last updated 2026-05-13