INCI name

CETEARYL ALCOHOL

Cetostearyl alcohol

Skin conditioning – emollient Surfactant – emulsifying Emulsion stabilising Surfactant – foam boosting Opacifying Surfactant – cleansing Viscosity controllingreviewed

A fatty alcohol that thickens and softens.

What it is

Cetearyl alcohol is a mixture of cetyl and stearyl alcohols, waxy fatty alcohols obtained from plant oils or synthetically. It is not the same as the volatile ethanol ('alcohol') that can feel drying.

Where it is used

Creams, lotions and hair conditioners as a thickener, emollient and co-emulsifier.

Limits of interpretation

The INCI list shows which ingredients are present, not how much of each. Above 1%, ingredients are listed in descending order of weight; below 1% the order is free.

Functions

Skin conditioning – emollient: Acting as lubricants on the skin surface providing the skin with a soft and smooth appearance.
Surfactant – emulsifying: Helping suspensions or dispersions of liquids in a second liquid by reducing the surface tension of the substances to be emulsified.
Emulsion stabilising: Helping the process of emulsification and improving emulsion stability and shelf-life.
Surfactant – foam boosting: Increasing foaming capacity and/or stabilize foams in general.
Opacifying: Reducing transparency or translucency of cosmetics.
Surfactant – cleansing: Wetting body surfaces, emulsifying or solubilizing oils, and suspending soil (generally, such ingredients contribute to the foaming and lathering properties of cleansing products).
Viscosity controlling: Increasing or decreasing the viscosity (thickness) of cosmetics.

EU regulation

This ingredient is not listed in the annexes of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 in the CosIng data.

Products with this ingredient (3739)

Check a full ingredient list