Fatty Alcohols in Skin and Hair Care: Cetyl, Cetearyl, and Stearyl Alcohol
Have you ever read the label on a skin or hair product and seen the word alcohol? Maybe you thought to yourself “won’t this dry out my skin/hair?” and been hesitant to use the product. Today I want to shed light on some alcohols that are actually good for your skin and hair… They are known as fatty alcohols!
In particular I’ll focus on just three today: cetyl, cetearyl, and stearyl alcohol. These three are some of the more common I’ve seen in self care products, and for good reason too! Before we get into the benefits of fatty alcohols, let's learn a little more about them.
What are Fatty Alcohols?
Fatty alcohols are organic compounds that contain long chains of carbon ending in a hydroxyl group. Due to their structure they are actually solid! They are usually white in color and a bit waxy in texture. They are soluble in oil and not in water. This gives a bit of an indication that they are not in fact drying at all like the liquid alcohol we are all used to.
Different types of Fatty Alcohols…
There are many different fatty alcohols but they typically differ by the amount of carbon in them. Cetyl alcohol has a carbon count of 16 while stearyl has 18. Cetearyl is actually a mix of fatty alcohols with 16 to 18 carbons. The number of carbons gives them different characteristics when used in recipes. The less carbons the more lightweight the final formula will be. This makes cetyl alcohol perfect for lotions, but when you want a heavier formula, like in a conditioner, stearyl alcohol is perfect!
How are Fatty Alcohols made?
Although fatty alcohols are found naturally in plants, they usually exist in small quantities. In recent years their production has been streamlined from more common ingredients. Specifically palmitic acid and stearic acid. These are fatty acids that are much more common in nature and easier to source. Three great sources are coconut, palm and soy. Fatty acids are liquid in nature and require processing to be transformed into solid, fatty alcohols.
Palmitic acid and stearic acid are hydrogenated to create cetyl and stearyl alcohol respectively. This reaction turns liquid oil into solid fatty alcohol! This allows for the unique qualities of fatty alcohols…
What are Fatty alcohols used for?
In short they are used as emollients and emulsifiers. Because of their waxy texture they work to create a protective layer over the skin and hair, locking in moisture! They work amazingly to detangle hair because of the slip they give. This is their emollient nature but they also have the ability to emulsify.
Emulsification is the process of combining oil and water, a seemingly impossible task. However if you have ever had a good salad dressing or salsa then you know how amazing emulsions are, and they are entirely possible. Fatty alcohols are able to bind to oil and allow it to be suspended in water. The resulting product has the hydrating qualities of water and the moisturizing effects of oil! A perfect combo!
Are Fatty Alcohols drying?
As you may have guessed at this point, the answer to this question is no! Fatty alcohols are not drying at all in fact, quite the opposite. Emollients by their very nature work to improve the texture and feel of our skin and hair. So don’t be scared when you see these ingredients on your product labels!
How to use Fatty Alcohol in your formulas….
Add fatty alcohols to your skin and hair care recipes to create a thick and creamy formula that locks in moisture. You don’t need much of these ingredients to completely transform the recipe. Typically you see cetyl alcohol used at 5-40% of the recipe. You need less stearyl and cetearyl alcohol to thicken your formula than cetyl alcohol, usually less than 20%.
Since fatty alcohols are insoluble in water add them to your oil phase when formulating.Once they are completely melted into the oil phase you may simply blend them into the water in your formula. Handheld mixers are perfect for this! Because fatty alcohols are emulsifiers the resulting solution will be quite shelf stable.