INCI name

LAURYL ALCOHOL

Lauryl alcohol (1-dodecanol)

Skin conditioning – emollient Surfactant – emulsifying Emulsion stabilising Viscosity controllingreviewed

A fatty alcohol with 12 carbon atoms.

What it is

Lauryl Alcohol (dodecan-1-ol) is a fatty alcohol that can be derived from plant oils such as coconut or palm kernel oil or made synthetically; the INCI name does not say which. CosIng lists it as an emollient, emulsifier, emulsion stabiliser and viscosity controller.

Where it is used

Found in creams, lotions, hair conditioners and cleansers, often in small amounts alongside other fatty alcohols.

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.

Like other fatty alcohols, it is not a drying alcohol such as ethanol.

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.
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 (101)

Check a full ingredient list