How we scored it
Ester of C16-18 fatty alcohol (natural) and stearic acid (natural); ester built only from natural building blocks = 1.0.
What counts. ISO 16128-2 scores the atoms that remain in the final ingredient. Reagents, solvents, catalysts and protecting groups used during manufacture leave no mass behind and are not counted.
Where it comes from
Made by esterifying cetearyl alcohol with stearic acid, both derived from vegetable (or tallow) fats and oils. No petrochemical route is used commercially.
In plain English
A skin-conditioning wax-like ingredient made from two fatty-acid-derived components joined together. It comes from plant oils or animal fats and helps thicken creams and soften skin.
CosIng definition: Octadecanoic acid, C16-18-alkyl esters
References
- 1ISO 16128-1:2016 and ISO 16128-2:2017 — Guidelines on technical definitions and criteria for natural and organic cosmetic ingredients and products. ISO, Geneva.
- 2CETEARYL STEARATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 3CETEARYL STEARATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CETEARYL%20STEARATE