Potassium Myristate ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is an anionic cleansing surfactant and emulsifying aid, mainly used to lift oil and soil in cleansers, shaving products, and high-pH cleansing creams.
What does Potassium Myristate do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is an anionic cleansing surfactant and emulsifying aid, mainly used to lift oil and soil in cleansers, shaving products, and high-pH cleansing creams.
Is Potassium Myristate clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it is generally accepted and not a common restricted-list concern. The main caveat is use context, since high-pH systems can feel stripping or irritating on some skin types, especially with frequent use.
Is Potassium Myristate sustainable?
This material is typically derived from plant or animal fatty-acid feedstocks plus mineral alkali, with plant supply often linked to coconut or palm-family oils. It is readily biodegradable, but sourcing transparency matters when palm-derived feedstocks are involved.
Is Potassium Myristate COSMOS-approved?
It can be permitted under COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic when made from allowed fatty-acid feedstocks and approved neutralization chemistry. It fits Green Chemistry reasonably well because it is simple, biodegradable, and made through low-complexity processing, although renewable sourcing depends on the fatty-acid supply chain.
How does Potassium Myristate work chemically?
The molecule is a potassium carboxylate with a 14-carbon saturated alkyl chain, giving it strong oil-lifting and foam-supporting behavior in alkaline water. It performs best at alkaline pH, can lose solubility in acidic systems, and may form insoluble deposits with hard-water minerals.
Last updated 2026-05-13