Ingredient
Cetyl Alcohol
A fatty alcohol that thickens and softens. Unrelated in behaviour to the volatile alcohols people usually mean.
What it is there to do
Emollient
Softens and smooths by filling gaps between skin cells.
Viscosity control
Sets how thick or thin the product is.
What we don't know
- Where it comes from — plant, mineral, synthetic — isn't recorded.
- No published rule in our reference names it. That is about the rules, not safety.
- How much of it is used in any particular product. We hold no concentrations at all.
This is information about an ingredient, not medical advice, and not a judgement about any product that contains it. Back to the reference.