Database/Emollient/Cetyl Lactate
100% natural origin · ISO 16128

Is Cetyl Lactate natural?

Yes. Cetyl alcohol is oleochemical and lactic acid is a fermentation product, so both fragments are natural origin.

INCI nameCetyl Lactate
CAS35274-05-6
FormulaC19H38O3 · 314.5 Da
FunctionEmollient · Skin Conditioning
FeedstockCetyl Lactate is made by esterifying coconut/palm-derived cetyl…

How we scored it

Cetyl alcohol (C16, natural) esterified with lactic acid (fermentation-derived, natural); 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.

How it’s made

Fischer esterification of lactic acid with cetyl alcohol. Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the score above.

Where it comes from

Cetyl Lactate is made by esterifying coconut/palm-derived cetyl alcohol with lactic acid produced by bacterial fermentation of plant sugars. No petrochemical route is used for either fragment.

In plain English

An emollient wax ester that moisturizes and softens skin. It's made from a coconut-derived fatty alcohol combined with lactic acid, which is produced by fermenting plant sugars.

Structure

2D structure of Cetyl Lactate

hexadecyl 2-hydroxypropanoate

PubChem CID 37098 ↗

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 Lactate. PubChem CID 37098. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3CETYL LACTATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4CETYL LACTATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CETYL%20LACTATE