Shade 3.5: Stearic Acid ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a fatty structurant and thickener that gives creams, lotions, sticks, and soaps body, opacity, and a firmer feel. When neutralized with an alkali, it also helps create cleansing and emulsifying systems.
What does Shade 3.5: Stearic Acid do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a fatty structurant and thickener that gives creams, lotions, sticks, and soaps body, opacity, and a firmer feel. When neutralized with an alkali, it also helps create cleansing and emulsifying systems.
Is Shade 3.5: Stearic Acid clean?
This ingredient is generally well tolerated, widely accepted in clean-beauty frameworks, and not a common restricted-list concern. Sensitivity is uncommon, although very rich formulas using it at higher levels may feel heavy for some breakout-prone skin.
Is Shade 3.5: Stearic Acid sustainable?
This material is commonly sourced from plant oils, sometimes with palm, soy, or rapeseed supply-chain considerations, and less commonly from animal fat. It is readily biodegradable and has low environmental persistence concerns when responsibly sourced.
Is Shade 3.5: Stearic Acid COSMOS-approved?
It is permitted under COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic when made from approved natural feedstocks and compliant processing. Its Green Chemistry profile is strong when plant-derived, because it uses renewable carbon, has a simple production route, and biodegrades readily.
How does Shade 3.5: Stearic Acid work chemically?
The molecule is a saturated C18 long-chain carboxylic acid, a waxy solid with a melting point around 69 to 70°C and a pKa near 4.75. Typical use ranges run from about 1 to 5% in emulsions and higher in sticks or soap systems, and its saturated structure gives it good oxidation stability compared with unsaturated lipids.
Last updated 2026-05-15