Isostearyl Hydroxystearate ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is an emollient ester that adds slip, cushion, and a soft protective feel to skin and lip products. It also helps improve pigment wetting and reduces waxy drag in balms, sticks, and color cosmetics.
What does Isostearyl Hydroxystearate do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is an emollient ester that adds slip, cushion, and a soft protective feel to skin and lip products. It also helps improve pigment wetting and reduces waxy drag in balms, sticks, and color cosmetics.
Is Isostearyl Hydroxystearate clean?
From a clean beauty perspective, this ingredient is generally well tolerated and has little restricted-list friction. It is not a common fragrance allergen or sensitizing preservative, and concerns usually relate more to feedstock transparency than skin compatibility.
Is Isostearyl Hydroxystearate sustainable?
This material is commonly made from fatty raw materials that may be plant-derived, often from castor or other vegetable oil supply chains, though some grades can use petrochemical inputs. It is expected to be biodegradable as a long-chain fatty ester, but branched structure can slow breakdown compared with simpler straight-chain esters.
Is Isostearyl Hydroxystearate COSMOS-approved?
It can be permitted under COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic when made from approved natural-origin fatty feedstocks using compliant esterification chemistry. It fits Green Chemistry best when renewable inputs, efficient processing, and low-residue manufacturing are documented.
How does Isostearyl Hydroxystearate work chemically?
The molecule is a high-molecular-weight branched C18 fatty ester with one secondary hydroxyl group, which gives it more cushion and polarity than a simple nonhydroxylated ester. It is typically used from low single digits to about 10 percent in oil phases, is broadly stable across normal cosmetic pH ranges, and can support pigment dispersion in anhydrous and emulsion systems.
Last updated 2026-05-13