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Myristyl Alcohol

Myristyl Alcohol · C14-22 AlcoholsBarrier

A waxy fatty alcohol, not a drying one — thickens creams and keeps oil and water from separating.

What it does

A waxy fatty alcohol, not the quick-evaporating kind that dries skin. It thickens creams and lotions, gives them a smooth body, and helps keep oil and water from separating.

The EU’s ingredient database lists it as an emollient (gives skin a soft, smooth look), a thickener (controls how thick the product is) and a stabilizer (helps oil and water stay mixed).European Commission, CosIng (© European Union, CC BY 4.0) · uses put in plain words by Drop ↗

The evidence, graded

expert consensusUS safety reviewers (1988) judged myristyl alcohol and four related fatty alcohols safe as used in cosmetics. Lotions with 0.8% didn’t irritate people’s skin, and moisturizers with 0.25% caused neither irritation nor allergy. In rabbit eye tests, a spray antiperspirant with 3% irritated mildly to moderately. After looking at newer studies, the reviewers confirmed the verdict in a review published in 2008.Cosmetic 1988 · Journal of the American College of Toxicology ↗

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

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