Ingredients / Hydroxystearic Acid
Very Disliked

Hydroxystearic Acid

Explained

Hydroxystearic Acid is a C18 fatty acid derived from castor oil.

In cosmetics, it pulls triple duty:

  1. It has a gelling ability that can gel hydrocarbons as well as some silicones.
  2. It helps condition and soften skin as an emollient.
  3. The salts of this ingredient can also function as oil-in-water emulsifiers.

Reported use concentrations for this ingredient go up to about 13.2% in makeup but tends to be lower in skincare.

Fungal acne: Since hydroxystearic acid is a C18 fatty acid, it falls into the C11-24 range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize. This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.

See all 434 products with Hydroxystearic Acid

Users who like it
11%
Users who avoid it
89%

What it does

Cleansing To free from dirt, contamination, or impurities
Emulsifying The act of emulsion: a suspension of small globules of one liquid in a second liquid with which the first will not mix
Surfactant When added to liquid, surfactants may act as detergents, wetting agents, emulsifiers, foaming agents, and dispersants

Prevalence

Less common Percentage of products that contain it
0.3%
Top categories
Lip Care
Moisturizers
Makeup
Position Predominant list placement
Top 50%

References

pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov www.cir-safety.org www.cir-safety.org www.cir-safety.org www.cosmeticsinfo.org www.jidsponline.org

CosIng Data

CosIng ID 34555
INCI Name HYDROXYSTEARIC ACID
EC #  203-366-1
All Functions Cleansing, Emulsifying, Surfactant