Ingredients / Stearyl Alcohol
Very Disliked

Stearyl Alcohol

Explained

Stearyl Alcohol is a type of fatty alcohol from stearic acid. It is a white, waxy compound used to emulsify ingredients used as an emollient or to thicken a product.

Emollients help soothe and hydrate the skin by trapping moisture.

Fatty alcohols are usually derived from natural fats and oils and therefore do not have the same drying or irritating effect as solvent (ethanol) alcohols.

The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.

This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. It is a primary fatty alcohol with a chain length above 12 carbons. A study from 2019 show Malassezia can feed on fatty alcohols in this range, so it may trigger fungal acne in those prone to it.

See all 4,501 products with Stearyl Alcohol

Comedogenic Rating
2
Irritancy Rating
2
Users who like it
9%
Users who avoid it
91%

What it does

Emollient Having the quality of softening or soothing the skin.
Emulsifying The act of emulsion: a suspension of small globules of one liquid in a second liquid with which the first will not mix
Emulsion Stabilising Stabiliziing emulsion, making two non-mixable ingredients stable
Masking Obscuring or blocking
Surfactant When added to liquid, surfactants may act as detergents, wetting agents, emulsifiers, foaming agents, and dispersants

Prevalence

Uncommon Percentage of products that contain it
3.5%
Top categories
Moisturizers
Haircare
Cleansers
Position Predominant list placement
Top 25%
Concentration Concentrations we've seen
6% to 8%

References

egrove.olemiss.edu www.cosmeticsinfo.org www.mdpi.com www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

CosIng Data

CosIng ID 38319
INCI Name STEARYL ALCOHOL
INN Name stearyl alcohol
EC #  204-017-6
Ph. Eur. Name alcohol stearylicus
All Functions Emollient, Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising, Foam Boosting, Masking, Opa CI Fying, Refatting, Surfactant, Viscosity Controlling