Cetyl Alcohol
About This Product
Cetyl alcohol is a straight-chain saturated fatty alcohol with sixteen carbon atoms, systematically hexadecan-1-ol, carrying CAS number 36653-82-4 and the INCI name Cetyl Alcohol. It is produced by reducing palm or coconut-derived fatty acids or their methyl esters, and is supplied as white flakes, pastilles or powder. It was originally isolated from spermaceti, the wax from sperm whales, which is where the name comes from; all commercial material today is plant-derived or synthetic.
The long hydrocarbon chain dominates its behaviour, so it is waxy and water-insoluble rather than solvent-like, and it melts at around 49 degrees Celsius. The single hydroxyl group at the end of the chain is enough to make the molecule amphiphilic, which is the basis of its function. Placed in an oil-in-water emulsion it aligns at the droplet surface alongside the primary emulsifier, building a rigid interfacial film that thickens the product and slows coalescence. Compared with the longer stearyl alcohol it gives a lighter, more slippery skin feel and a softer set.
It is used as an emollient, opacifier, thickener and co-emulsifier in creams, lotions, hair conditioners and sunscreens, as a base in ointments and suppositories, and industrially in lubricants, textile finishing and as a feedstock for surfactant manufacture.
Bio Green Oleo supplies cetyl alcohol to specification on assay and chain distribution, hydroxyl value, melting point, acid value, iodine value and colour.
Specifications
Applications
Packaging Options
- Pack size confirmed on enquiry
Indicative price: $1.00–8.50/kg
Indicative bulk guide only. Prices are market-linked and updated regularly - please request a quote for current pricing and volume rates.
Start with the process and specification
- End use and required material or feedstock
- Critical analytical limits and physical form
- Handling temperature, storage and pack format
- Volume, documentation needs and delivery destination
Confirm the evidence before ordering
Grade, origin and certification are confirmed for each proposed source. A vegetable-derived feedstock is not automatically certified sustainable, pharmaceutical grade or suitable for every application; request the evidence needed for your intended use.
Product illustrations show representative material and packaging. The quotation confirms the actual source, grade, pack size and labelling.
Review documentation