Trihydroxystearin ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a lipid-based thickener, gellant, and suspending agent, especially useful in anhydrous oils, sticks, balms, and emulsions where it helps build body and stabilize dispersed pigments or powders.
What does Trihydroxystearin do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a lipid-based thickener, gellant, and suspending agent, especially useful in anhydrous oils, sticks, balms, and emulsions where it helps build body and stabilize dispersed pigments or powders.
Is Trihydroxystearin clean?
It has a low irritation and sensitization profile and is not a common focus of clean-beauty restricted lists. Clean-standard review usually centers on feedstock traceability and processing, not the molecule itself.
Is Trihydroxystearin sustainable?
This material is commonly plant-derived from castor oil and is expected to biodegrade like other fatty ester materials. Its sustainability profile depends on agricultural practices, hydrogenation energy use, and supplier documentation for the vegetable feedstock.
Is Trihydroxystearin COSMOS-approved?
It is generally compatible with COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic when made from permitted vegetable feedstocks using allowed hydrogenation and esterification routes, with final acceptance dependent on supplier certification. It fits Green Chemistry reasonably well through renewable sourcing, low volatility, and biodegradability, though hydrogenation adds a processing step.
How does Trihydroxystearin work chemically?
The molecule is a triester lipid built from a glycerol core and three hydroxylated C18 fatty-acid chains, which allows hydrogen bonding and network formation in oil phases. It is typically used at low single-digit levels for viscosity control or higher levels in sticks and balms, and it is most relevant in heated oil-phase processing because it melts and structures on cooling.
Last updated 2026-05-13