Isopropyl Palmitate
What is it?
Ethylhexyl Palmitate, also called Octyl Palmitate, is a clear, colorless, practically odorless liquid. Cetyl Palmitate is a white, crystalline, wax-like substance. Isopropyl Palmitate is a colorless, almost odorless, liquid. In cosmetics and personal care products, the Palmitates are used in a wide spectrum of products.
Safety Information
The safety of the Palmitates has been assessed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Revies (CIR) Expert Panel. The CIR Expert Panel evaluated the scientific data and concluded that Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Cetyl Palmitate and Isopropyl Palmitate were safe as cosmetic ingredients. In 2001, the CIR Expert Panel considered available new data on Ethylhexyl, Cetyl and Isopropyl Palmitate and reaffirmed the above conclusion.
Why is it used in cosmetics and personal care products?
The Palmitate ingredients act as lubricants on the skin’s surface, which gives the skin a soft and smooth appearance. Isopropyl Palmitate may be used as a binder which is an ingredient added to compounded dry powder mixtures of solids to provide adhesive qualities during and after compression to make tablets or cakes.
Scientific facts:
The Palmitates are produced using palmitic acid, a naturally occurring fatty acid found in plants and animals, along with smaller amounts of other fatty acids. Cetyl Palmitate also occurs naturally as a chief constituent of spermaceti (wax from sperm whale oil) and can be found in staghorn coral.
