Stearyl Alcohol
About This Product
Stearyl alcohol is a straight-chain saturated fatty alcohol with eighteen carbon atoms, systematically octadecan-1-ol, carrying CAS number 112-92-5 and the INCI name Stearyl Alcohol. It is produced by reducing stearic acid or its methyl ester, derived from palm oil or other vegetable sources, and is supplied as white flakes, pastilles, pellets or powder.
It is the longest-chain member of the series routinely used in formulation, and its properties follow from that. It melts at around 58 degrees Celsius, roughly nine degrees above cetyl alcohol, and gives the firmest set, the highest viscosity contribution and the richest, most cushioned skin feel of the three common grades. Where cetyl alcohol reads as light and slippery, stearyl reads as substantial and waxy, and formulators blend the two, or buy them pre-blended as cetostearyl alcohol, to land between the extremes. Its function is the same throughout: the long chain anchors in the oil phase while the single terminal hydroxyl group sits in the water phase, stiffening the film around each emulsion droplet and preventing the droplets from merging.
It is used as a thickener, opacifier, emollient and co-emulsifier in creams, lotions and hair conditioners, in pharmaceutical ointments and suppositories, and as an intermediate for stearyl sulfate and ethoxylate surfactants.
Bio Green Oleo supplies stearyl 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.
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