Cetearyl Alcohol Mass Balance

INCI Cetearyl Alcohol What It Does Cetearyl alcohol is a pre-made 50:50 blend of cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol, which are fatty alcohols that give creams and lotions their thickness and texture. The more cetearyl alcohol used, the thicker or creamier the product. Cetearyl alcohol also helps stabilize emulsions. What is Mass Balance? Cetearyl alcohol almost always comes from palm oil, as it is nearly impossible to source cetearyl alcohol from other plants. There is no producer that will guarantee cetearyl alcohol comes from non-palm sources. It is also difficult to make emulsions without cetearyl or cetyl/stearyl alcohol. Therefore, it is critical to use cetearyl alcohol from Mass Balance palm certified sources as a step towards sustainable palm use. How It's Made Palm oil undergoes a chemical reaction to release free fatty acids like palmitic acid and stearic acid. This mixture is distilled to separate palmitic acid and stearic acids, where they are converted to cetyl alcohol and s