Myristyl Lactate ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is used as an emollient and skin-conditioning ester, adding slip, softness, and a light cushion to creams, lotions, balms, and lip products.
What does Myristyl Lactate do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is used as an emollient and skin-conditioning ester, adding slip, softness, and a light cushion to creams, lotions, balms, and lip products.
Is Myristyl Lactate clean?
It is generally well tolerated and has little clean-standard friction, with no common restricted-list status. Like many rich emollient esters, it may feel too occlusive for some acne-prone users at higher levels.
Is Myristyl Lactate sustainable?
This material is typically made from plant-derived fatty alcohol feedstocks and a fermentation-derived hydroxy acid, though the fatty source can be palm or coconut. It is expected to be readily biodegradable and is not known for environmental persistence.
Is Myristyl Lactate COSMOS-approved?
It can be permitted under COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic when made from approved renewable feedstocks using compliant esterification chemistry. From a Green Chemistry lens, it fits well when sourced from renewable inputs and made through efficient ester formation with limited solvent burden.
How does Myristyl Lactate work chemically?
The molecule is a saturated C14 fatty ester of a small alpha-hydroxy acid, which gives it a waxy, lubricious skin feel and good oxidative stability. It is typically used around 1 to 10% in emulsions or anhydrous products, and ester stability is best in mildly acidic to neutral formulas rather than strongly acidic or alkaline systems.
Last updated 2026-05-13