Cited skincare — every flag names its source, no upsell.
Et

Ethylhexyl Stearate

Ethylhexyl StearateBarrier

A softening oil with a cushioned, slippery feel. It helps oils spread and pigments blend in tinted products.

What it does

Made from stearic acid, it softens skin with a cushioned, slippery feel, helps other oils spread, and helps spread pigments evenly in tinted products and sunscreens.

The evidence, graded

expert consensusUS safety reviewers (2015) assessed 237 alkyl esters used in cosmetics. Their index lists these eight under that report: coco-caprylate, heptyl undecylenate, propylheptyl caprylate, isononyl isononanoate, isodecyl neopentanoate, ethylhexyl stearate, octyldodecyl neopentanoate and tridecyl neopentanoate. They say these esters most often condition skin. They judged them safe as used, when a product is made not to irritate.Fiume 2015 · International Journal of Toxicology ↗

Graded per the methodology: strong · moderate · emerging · expert consensus. A weak source on a strong claim gets the weaker label.

Also known as

octyl stearate

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