TRIDECYL TRIMELLITATE ●
TL;DR. It acts mainly as a rich emollient and pigment-wetting agent in lip color, makeup, sunscreens, and creams. It improves slip, gloss, adhesion, and cushion while helping disperse powders in oil phases.
What does TRIDECYL TRIMELLITATE do in a cosmetic formula?
It acts mainly as a rich emollient and pigment-wetting agent in lip color, makeup, sunscreens, and creams. It improves slip, gloss, adhesion, and cushion while helping disperse powders in oil phases.
Is TRIDECYL TRIMELLITATE clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, this ingredient is generally viewed as a low-sensitizing, non-fragrant synthetic emollient with no common allergen profile. The main friction is petrochemical origin and lack of natural-standard acceptance, not routine skin-tolerance concerns.
Is TRIDECYL TRIMELLITATE sustainable?
This material is typically petrochemical-derived, though fatty alcohol inputs can sometimes be plant-sourced depending on supplier. Its large, oil-soluble ester structure suggests slower biodegradation than simple plant oils or small esters.
Is TRIDECYL TRIMELLITATE COSMOS-approved?
It is not permitted as a standard cosmetic ingredient under COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic because it does not meet the natural-origin and allowed-process criteria. Green Chemistry fit is mixed: it is efficient and stable, but feedstocks are usually fossil-derived and end-of-life biodegradation is less favorable than simple renewable lipids.
How does TRIDECYL TRIMELLITATE work chemically?
The molecule is a high-molecular-weight, oil-soluble triester built from an aromatic tricarboxylic acid core and C13 alkyl chains, which gives low volatility and a dry, cushioned slip. It is commonly used in anhydrous color cosmetics and emulsions at low to moderate percentages, remains stable under normal cosmetic conditions, and can hydrolyze under strong acid or alkaline stress.
Last updated 2026-05-13