Database/Emollient/Cetyl Acetate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Cetyl Acetate natural?

Mostly. The cetyl alcohol chain is oleochemical; the acetyl group is scored petrochemical by this site's convention regardless of acetic acid's fermentation potential.

INCI nameCetyl Acetate
CAS629-70-9
FormulaC18H36O2 · 284.5 Da
FunctionEmollient · Fragrance
FeedstockThe feedstock is cetyl alcohol from vegetable or…

How we scored it

Cetyl-O- (natural fatty alcohol, 241.4 Da) + acetyl (petrochemical cap, 43.0 Da); 241.4/284.5 = 0.85.
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

The feedstock is cetyl alcohol from vegetable or animal fat, esterified with acetic anhydride. The acetyl cap is treated as petrochemical by this site's convention.

In plain English

An emollient made by combining a plant/animal-derived fatty alcohol (cetyl alcohol) with acetic acid, used to soften and condition skin.

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Structure

2D structure of Cetyl Acetate

hexadecyl acetate

PubChem CID 12393 ↗

References

  1. 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.
  2. 2Cetyl Acetate. PubChem CID 12393. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3CETYL ACETATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4CETYL ACETATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CETYL%20ACETATE