INCI name

CETYL ALCOHOL

Cetyl alcohol

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

A fatty alcohol used to thicken and stabilise creams.

What it is

Cetyl alcohol is a waxy fatty alcohol obtained from vegetable oils or made synthetically. Despite the name, it is not a drying alcohol like ethanol.

Where it is used

Found in creams, lotions and hair conditioners.

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.

Fatty alcohols are a different group from ethanol ('alcohol' or 'alcohol denat.' on labels).

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.
Fragrance: Imparting an odour or taste. Creating a perceivable pleasant smell and/or masking a bad smell.
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 (1638)

Check a full ingredient list