Is cetostearyl alcohol good for skin?

Cetostearyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol commonly used in various industries. With a melting point of 51 - 53°C and a density of 0.8 at 20°C, it appears as a white, waxy solid. In the cosmetic industry, it acts as an emollient, thickening agent, and emulsifier. It helps improve the texture of products like lotions, creams, and shampoos, providing a smooth and creamy consistency. In pharmaceuticals, it can be used in ointments to enhance stability and texture. Its low vapor pressure of 0.001 Pa at 25°C and the need for refrigerated storage ensure its quality and effectiveness.

Lubricants; Emulsifier; Viscosifier.

This product can be used in cosmetics and topical preparations. In topical preparations, 18cetyl alcohol increases the viscosity of w/o and o/w emulsions. It stabilizes and co-emulsifies the emulsion, thereby reducing the amount of surfactant required to form a stable emulsion.

Cetearyl Alcohol is also used in the preparation of non-aqueous creams and lipsticks. It has been reported that Cetearyl Alcohol can be used to reduce the release of water-soluble drugs.

In combination with surfactants, it can form emulsions with very complex microstructure, including liquid crystal, plate structure and gel phase.

It can be used to prepare a makeup removing mask with water as solvent, glycerin, cetyl palmitate, PEG-7 olive oil ester, glycerin cocoate, isocetane, and polydimethylsiloxane, polysorbate-80, polysorbate-20 as emulsifier.

Cetolyl isononanoate, cetolyl Chemicalbook stearol-20, cetolyl alcohol, glyceryl stearate, cetolyl stearol-12 were used as emollients, and phenoxyethanol and hydroxyphenylate were used as preservatives.

The copolymer of sodium acrylate/sodium acrylyl dimethyltaurine was used as thickener. It is prepared from purslane extract skin conditioner and essence.

1. Mild and non-irritating

Acnegenicity: 0 (No risk of acne, suitable for acne-prone skin).

Sensitization rate: < 0.1% (ECZEMA SOCIETY certified safe).
Regulatory certification
It is permitted for use in accordance with the "Cosmetics Safety Technical Specifications" of China.
Eu ECOCERT Organic Certification (Plant source).

2.Widely compatible

Suitable skin types: All skin types (especially dry and sensitive skin, and skin with damaged barriers).

Applicable products
Baby care (buttock cream, body lotion).
Cosmeceutical repair (such as Staf Moisturizing Cream with 4%).
High-end anti-aging creams (such as La Mer Classic Cream)

Misunderstanding: Does "alcohol" irritate the skin?

The correct answer: cetyl alcohol belongs to fatty alcohols and has nothing to do with ethanol (irritating alcohol). It is non-volatile and does not damage barriers.
Misunderstanding: Mixing industrial grade and cosmetic grade?
The correct answer: Cosmetics must be of high purity (> 99%), and industrial-grade products containing impurities (such as heavy metals) are prohibited.

Tadros, T. F. (2005)
Emulsion formation, stability, and rheology.
In Emulsion Science and Technology, Wiley-VCH, 1-56.
DOI: 10.1002/3527603227.ch1

Role of topical emollients and moisturizers in the treatment of dry skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2(1), 41-48.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1473-2130.2003.00001.x

European Commission SCCS (2019)
Opinion on Cetearyl Alcohol (SCCS/1613/19).

Lee, C. H., et al. (2017)
Mitigating surfactant-induced irritation with cetearyl alcohol in cleansers.
Journal of Surfactants and Detergents, 20(6), 1345-1352.
DOI: 10.1007/s11743-017-2017-x