What is Stearyl Alcohol?

Stearyl Alcohol is a long-chain fatty alcohol with eighteen carbon atoms (C18), supplied as an odourless white pellets. The neutral scent makes it an ideal base for any type of formula, without dominance or interfering secondary fragrance. Once it melts in the warm oil phase, it provides a velvety-soft, smooth skin feel in creams, lotions and balms.

Our Stearyl Alcohol is plant-based and RSPO Mass Balance certified. Fatty alcohols with this chain length come from the palm chain, because palm is naturally rich in the required fatty acids. We therefore consciously purchase RSPO-certified. Further down we explain what that means exactly.

Not to be confused with ordinary alcohol

Fatty alcohol sounds like alcohol, but has nothing to do with it. Ethanol is volatile, drying and irritating. Fatty alcohols are solid, waxy substances that plants use to protect themselves against drying out. On the skin they do the same: soften, protect and retain moisture.

What are the benefits of Stearyl Alcohol?

Supports the skin barrier
Stearyl Alcohol forms a breathable layer that helps retain moisture and strengthen the skin barrier. This promotes healing and contributes to a more comfortable skin feel.

Soft, creamy texture
It gives creams and lotions a smooth, velvety-soft structure without a sticky sensation. Ideal for formulas that need to feel luxurious but still want to remain light.

Natural thickener and stabiliser
Stearyl Alcohol increases viscosity, stabilises emulsions and helps creams remain beautifully homogeneous. This promotes a reliable and consistent structure, batch after batch.

Great for dry and sensitive skin
Its mild nature contributes to comfort and soothing. It helps dry, easily tightened skin feel pleasant.

Compatible and odourless
A completely neutral base that does not affect fragrance profiles and works perfectly with active ingredients and essential oils. This keeps a formula clear and clean in character.

How do you use Stearyl Alcohol?

Add to the oil phase. Stearyl Alcohol melts at 60 to 70°C and must be completely melted to integrate well into the fat phase. If you are working with solid butters or other difficult-to-melt ingredients, the oil phase can easily reach 75°C.

Recommended dosage: 1 to 3%. For a light lotion you are around 1%, for a rich cream or body butter towards 3%. In solid sticks and balms you can go higher, depending on how firm you want the product to be.

Always combine with a primary emulsifier such as Olivem 1000 or Vegetal / Montanov 68. Allow to cool in a controlled manner for an even texture.

Tip: because Stearyl Alcohol is a structure builder, cooling too quickly can cause slight graininess or white flecks. Slow cooling gives the most professional result.

What makes Stearyl Alcohol so special?

Stable, even in summer
The melting point around 57 to 60°C ensures that formulas remain creamy and stable even in warmer seasons. Stearyl Alcohol gives that soft, cushiony texture that makes many beloved natural products so pleasant.

Transparent about origins
You never see on an INCI list where a fatty alcohol comes from. The name is always Stearyl Alcohol, regardless of whether the source is palm, coconut or petrochemistry. We think you should be able to know that. Our Stearyl Alcohol comes from the palm chain and is RSPO Mass Balance certified. Mass Balance means that certified sustainable and non-certified palm can be mixed in the chain, but no more certified material can ever be sold than is actually produced sustainably. For this chain length, this is currently the most responsible route that is really available.

The difference with the other fatty alcohols
C18 is the firmest of the three. Cetyl Alcohol (C16) gives a lighter, slicker feel and Cetearyl Alcohol is a blend of both. If you want a firmer, richer result or are working on a stick, then Stearyl is your choice.