Cetostearyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol or cetylstearyl alcohol is a mixture of

fatty alcohol Fatty alcohols (or long-chain alcohols) are usually high-molecular mass, straight-chain primary alcohols, but can also range from as few as 4–6 carbon atoms to as many as 22–26, derived from natural fats and oils. The precise chain length vari ...

s, consisting predominantly of cetyl (16 C) and

stearyl alcohol Stearyl alcohol, or 1-octadecanol, is an organic compound classified as a saturated fatty alcohol with the formula CH3(CH2)16CH2OH. It takes the form of white granules or flakes, which are insoluble in water. It has a wide range of uses as an i ...

s (18 C) and is classified as a

. It is used as an

emulsion An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally Miscibility, immiscible (unmixable or unblendable) owing to liquid-liquid phase separation. Emulsions are part of a more general class of two-phase systems of matter called colloi ...

stabilizer, opacifying agent, and

foam Foams are two-phase materials science, material systems where a gas is dispersed in a second, non-gaseous material, specifically, in which gas cells are enclosed by a distinct liquid or solid material. Note, this source focuses only on liquid ...

boosting

surfactant Surfactants are chemical compounds that decrease the surface tension or interfacial tension between two liquids, a liquid and a gas, or a liquid and a solid. The word ''surfactant'' is a Blend word, blend of "surface-active agent", coined in ...

, as well as an

aqueous An aqueous solution is a solution in which the solvent is water. It is mostly shown in chemical equations by appending (aq) to the relevant chemical formula. For example, a solution of table salt, also known as sodium chloride (NaCl), in wat ...

and nonaqueous

viscosity Viscosity is a measure of a fluid's rate-dependent drag (physics), resistance to a change in shape or to movement of its neighboring portions relative to one another. For liquids, it corresponds to the informal concept of ''thickness''; for e ...

-increasing agent. It imparts an

emollient A moisturizer, or emollient, is a cosmetic preparation used for protecting, moisturizing, and lubricating the skin. These functions are normally performed by sebum produced by healthy skin. The word "emollient" is derived from the Latin verb ''mo ...

feel to the

skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different ...

and can be used in water-in-oil emulsions, oil-in-water emulsions, and

anhydrous A substance is anhydrous if it contains no water. Many processes in chemistry can be impeded by the presence of water; therefore, it is important that water-free reagents and techniques are used. In practice, however, it is very difficult to achie ...

formulation Formulation is a term used in various senses in various applications, both the material and the abstract or formal. Its fundamental meaning is the putting together of components in appropriate relationships or structures, according to a formula ...

s. It is commonly used in hair conditioners and other hair products. 5% cetyl stearyl alcohol in petrolatum is cytotoxic per the

MTT assay The MTT assay is a colorimetric assay for assessing cell metabolic activity. NAD(P)H-dependent cellular oxidoreductase enzymes may, under defined conditions, reflect the number of viable cells present. These enzymes are capable of reducing the t ...

References

{{reflist Fatty alcohols Non-ionic surfactants Alkanols