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Cetyl Alcohol

Cetyl AlcoholBarrier

Long-chain fatty alcohol. Adds emollience and helps stabilize cream emulsions; not a drying alcohol.

What it does

Cetyl alcohol is the 16-carbon fatty alcohol component of cetearyl alcohol. As a stand-alone, it provides a softer skin feel than stearyl alcohol and is a common emulsion stabilizer in lighter creams. Same naming-confusion warning as cetearyl alcohol — this is an emollient, not the dehydrating alcohol family.

Pairs worth knowing

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