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SUMMARY
GOOD | EXTREMELY SAFE TO BE USED IN PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS | APPROVED BY REGULATORY BODIES
A useful and safe cosmetics ingredient used as an emollient in most of the personal care products to make the skin softer and smoother.
WHAT IS CETEARYL ALCOHOL?
Cetearyl Alcohol is derived from fatty alcohols - cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is generally waxy in nature and can be obtained from natural sources or created synthetically in laboratories. These fatty alcohols are also known as long chain alcohols owing to their chemical formulas.
REVIEW OF CETEARYL ALCOHOL
| Name of Brand/ Organization | Paula's Choice | EWG | CIR | FDA | EU Cosmetics Regulation |
| Rating/Review | GOOD | 2-4 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Cetearyl Alcohol is amongst the most researched and reviewed ingredients. Top regulatory bodies like FDA (Food and Drug Administration ensures the safety, efficacy and security of humans by making sure that cosmetics are safe to use), CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review thoroughly investigates the safety of ingredients used in cosmetics), EU Cosmetics Regulation (It ensures the safety of the consumers while using the cosmetic products) and EWG (Environmental Working Group Skin Deep is a cosmetic data base for ensuring the safety of ingredients being used in personal care products) along with popular skin care brand Paula's Choice have rated it safe for use in cosmetics, personal care products.
BENEFITS OF CETEARYL ALCOHOL
The multifaceted Cetearyl Alcohol has the following benefits:
- Acts as an Emulsifier: The various products that we use on a daily basis have a multitude of ingredients and Cetearyl Alcohol maintains the composition of the product and prevents their separation. It is known to stabilize the formulations.
- Promotes Even Application: It helps in proper maintenance of the composition which improves the overall effectiveness of the product. The active ingredients of the formulation also spread in tandem with other ingredients which results in even application of the products.
- Acts as a Thickening Agent: It helps in providing a creamy texture and imparting utility properties like the viscosity to the formulations. It promotes the feel of the product making them glide on the skin for better application.
- Acts as an Emollient: It makes the skin softer and smoother. It works effectively on the uneven surfaces of the skin and dry skin.
QUESTIONS ABOUT EFFECTS OF CETEARLY ALCOHOL
The myth surrounding this ingredient - just like the known traditional alcohols, even Cetearyl Alcohol sensitizes the skin and makes the skin extremely dry. Unlike the traditional alcohols, the fatty alcohols have completely different properties and they are known to alleviate the dryness of skin and not enhance it. The composition of the fatty alcohols also makes them less harsh as compared to other alcohols. Hence, these special kind of alcohols are recognized as being safe to use and non-toxic in nature.
