Isocetyl Stearate

Isocetyl Stearate is a lab made emollient ester that spreads like a a lightweight, silky, and non-greasy oil.

Formulators like it because it softens skin, helps pigments glide, and does not feel heavy.

Safety-wise, the CIR has found it to be minimally irritating at most, nonsensitizing, nonphotoxic, and nonphotosensitizing.

Most products use it somewhere in the 1-10% range with the higher end showing up in color cosmetics.

This ingredient does have a comedogenic rating of 1, but this doesn't mean a formula with this ingredient will clog pores. Human testing has proved that any finished product with this ingredient won't automatically make you break out; it really comes down to concentration, formula, and your skin.

The Malassezia yeast feeds on fatty acids in the range of C11-24, and this ingredient sits right in that range at C18; it may not be fungal acne safe.

Allergy risk looks low as there are no published case reports of allergic contact dermatitis.