Isocetyl Alcohol
Explained
Isocetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. It is an emollient, viscosity controller, and helps give products a silky slip.
Despite having "alcohol" in the name, fatty alcohols have nothing in common with stripping alcohols like alcohol denatured.
This ingredient is non-soluble in water, but dissolves in oil and alcohol.
Fungal acne
The yeast behind fungal acne, Malassezia, feeds on fatty acids with carbon chain lengths C11-C24.
It can only get to these fatty acids by breaking apart ingredients that contain a specific chemical link called an "ester bond".
Isocetyl Alcohol itself does not have this chemical link so there's nothing for the yeast to break down. This is why Isocetyl Alcohol alcohol is considered fungal acne safe.
See all 47 products with Isocetyl Alcohol
