Octyldodecyl Cocoate

What Is It?

Coconut Oil, also called Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, is a pale-yellow, semisolid, edible oil. Coconut Acid is a mixture of fatty acids derived from Coconut Oil. Other ingredients made from Coconut Oil and/or Coconut Acid that may be used in cosmetics and personal care products include: Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Hydrogenated Coconut Acid, Coconut AlcoholAlcohols are a large class of important cosmetic ingredients but only ethanol needs to be denatured to prevent it from being redirected from cosmetic applications to alcoholic beverages., Butylene Glycol Cocoate, Caprylic/Capric/Coco Glycerides, Cocoglycerides, Coconut Oil Decyl Esters, Decyl Cocoate, Ethylhexyl Cocoate, Isodecyl Cocoate, Lauryl Cocoate, Methyl Cocoate, Octyldodecyl Cocoate, Pentaerythrityl Cocoate, Tridecyl Cocoate, Magnesium Cocoate, Potassium Cocoate, Sodium Cocoate, Ammonium Cocomonoglyceride Sulfate, Sodium Cocomonoglyceride Sulfate, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Potassium Hydrogenated Cocoate and Sodium Hydrogenated Cocoate. Among these ingredients made from Coconut Oil and/or its fatty acids, Coconut Oil is the most frequently used in the formulation of cosmetic and personal care products. Coconut Oil can be found in many categories of cosmetic and personal care products including bath products, eye makeup, hair care products, shaving creams, suntan products, skin care products and lipsticks.

Why Is It Used?

When used in cosmetics and personal care products, Coconut Oil and Coconut Acid, and the ingredients derived from Coconut Oil and Coconut Acid have the following functions.

Anticaking agents – Magnesium Cocoate
EmulsionA mixture of two liquids that normally cannot be mixed, in which one liquid is dispersed in the other liquid as very fine droplets. Emulsifying agents are often used to help form the emulsion and stabilizing agents are used to keep the resulting emulsion from separating. The most common emulsions are oil-in-water emulsions (where oil droplets are dispersed in water) and water-in-oil emulsions (where water droplets are dispersed in oil). stabilizers – Coconut Alcohol, Butylene Glycol Cocoate
Hair conditioning agents – Cocus Nucifera (Coconut) Oil,
Opacifying agents – Hydrogenated Coconut Acid
Skin-conditioning agents – emollient – Caprylic/Capric/Coco Glycerides, Cocoglycerides, Ethylhexyl Cocoate, Isodecyl Cocoate, Lauryl Cocoate, Methyl Cocoate, Octyldodecyl Cocoate, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides
Skin-conditioning agents – miscellaneous – Cocus Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Pentaerythrityl Cocoate
Skin-conditioning agents – occlusive – Cocus Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Coconut Oil Decyl Esters, Decyl Cocoate, Lauryl Cocoate, Tridecyl Cocoate
Slip modifiers – Magnesium Cocoate
Surfactants – cleansing agents – Coconut Acid, Hydrogenated Coconut Acid, Potassium Cocoate, Sodium Cocoate, Ammonium Cocomonoglyceride Sulfate, Sodium Cocomonoglyceride Sulfate, Potassium Hydrogenated Cocoate, Sodium Hydrogenated Cocoate
Surfactants – emulsifying agents – Potassium Cocoate, Sodium Cocoate
Surfactants – foam boosters – Coconut Alcohol
Viscosity increasing agents – aqueous – Coconut Alcohol Viscosity increasing agents – nonaqueous – Coconut Alcohol, Butylene Glycol Cocoate, Magnesium Cocoate

Scientific Facts

Coconut Oil is obtained by expression from the dried inner flesh of the coconut, Cocos nucifera. Coconut Oil is a source of lower chain length fatty acids, including lauric acid, capric acid, myristic acid and palmitic acid. The traditional use of Coconut Oil and the salts of the Coconut Acid, Potassium Cocoate and Sodium Cocoate is in the manufacture of soap. Coconut Oil has many other uses including in baking, candy making and in the manufacture of candles.

Safety Information

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permits Coconut Oil to be used as a direct food additive as a substitute for cocoa butterAny of various fatty oils remaining nearly solid at room temperature.. Coconut Oil, Coconut Acid and Coconut Alcohol are permitted for use as indirect food additives as defoaming agents in the manufacture of paper and paperboard used for food packaging. Coconut oil is also listed as a substance Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS“GRAS” is an acronym for the phrase Generally Recognized As Safe. Under sections 201(s) and 409 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act), any substance that is intentionally added to food is a food additive, that is subject to premarket review and approval by FDA, unless the substance is generally recognized, among qualified experts, as having been adequately shown to be safe under the conditions of its intended use, or unless the use of the substance is otherwise excluded from the definition of a food additive.) by the FDA for use in cotton and cotton fabrics used in dry food packaging. The safety of Coconut Oil, Coconut Acid, Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Coconut Alcohol, Butylene Glycol Cocoate, Caprylic/Capric/Coco Glycerides, Cocoglycerides, Coconut Oil Decyl Esters, Decyl Cocoate, Ethylhexyl Cocoate, Isodecyl Cocoate, Lauryl Cocoate, Methyl Cocoate, Octyldodecyl Cocoate, Pentaerythrityl Cocoate, Tridecyl Cocoate, Magnesium Cocoate, Potassium Cocoate, Sodium Cocoate, Ammonium Cocomonoglyceride Sulfate, Sodium Cocomonoglyceride Sulfate, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Potassium Hydrogenated Cocoate and Sodium Hydrogenated Cocoate has been assessed by the Cosmetic Ingredient ReviewThe Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) was established in 1976 as an independent safety review program for cosmetic ingredients. The CIR Expert Panel consists of independent experts in dermatology, toxicology, pharmacolgy and veterinary medicine. The CIR includes participation by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and the Consumer Federation of America. (CIR) Expert Panel. The CIR Expert Panel evaluated the scientific data and concluded that Coconut Oil and Coconut Acid and the other ingredients made from Coconut Oil and Coconut Acid were safe for use as cosmetic ingredients.

CIR Safety Review: The CIR Expert Panel reviewed acute, chronic, and subchronic oral toxicity studies indicating that Coconut Oil and Hydrogenated Coconut Oil were nontoxic by ingestion. Neither substance produced significant skin or eye irritation. No sensitization was reported. Clinical assessment of cosmetics and personal care products containing Coconut Oil and other coconut oil-derived ingredients produced very minimal skin irritation reactions. There was no indication that these ingredients were primary irritants, sensitizers, or phototoxic compounds following human testing. Based on the safety of Coconut Oil and the components of the other ingredients that have been reviewed previously, the CIR Expert Panel concluded that all of the coconut oil-derived ingredients reviewed in this report were safe for use in cosmetics and personal care products.

Link to FDA Code of Federal Regulations for Coconut Oil and Coconut Acid

Coconut Oil and its derivatives may be used in cosmetics and personal care products marketed in the European Union.

More Scientific Information

Coconut Oil and Coconut Acid are mixtures of fatty acids where approximately 90% of the oil is saturated. Hydrogenated Coconut Oil and Hydrogenated Coconut Acid are derived from the controlled hydrogenation of Coconut Oil and Coconut Acid, respectively. Coconut Oil and its derivatives are used as surfactants (cleansing and foaming agents) and stabilizers in cosmetics and personal care products.

Resources

Find out more about the regulation of Food Additives by the Food and Drug Administration