Cetearyl alcohol is found in thousands of personal care products from conditioners, moisturisers, sun protection lotions, hand creams, lipsticks, soaps and so much more.

Cetearyl alcohol is made simply by combining cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. Cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol are made through a process called chemical reduction. This involves reacting palmitic acid and stearic acid (both fatty acids) with ethyl alcohol.

‘Alcohols’ are a large and diverse family of chemical compounds, with a wide variety of effects on the skin. Skincare products labelled as ‘alcohol-free’ may still contain cetearyl alcohol but that’s not a bad thing since cetearyl alcohol doesn’t dry skin out or cause irritation like ethyl alcohol (better known as ethanol), denatured alcohol, or isopropyl alcohol.

As a fatty alcohol, cetearyl alcohol is chemically distinct from the common understanding of alcohol. It is in no way intoxicating.

Cetearyl alcohol may be manufactured using animal fats. If you are vegan, vegetarian or adhere to a strict Halal or Kosher diet, you may want to avoid this ingredient unless it is certified by a reputable third party organisation such as the Vegan Association. If it’s made from plant materials, it is to be considered Halal according to the Standard and Metrology Institute for the Islamic Countries—Halal Cosmetics Requirements (OIC/SMIIC 4:2018).

In chemistry terms, an alcohol is any substance with an Oxygen-Hydrogen pairing (-OH; also known as a hydroxyl) connected to a carbon backbone.