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Cetyl Ethylhexanoate

What Cetyl Ethylhexanoate is & what it does

A light emollient ester with a dry, silky slip that improves spread and softens skin. It is widely used to refine the feel of sunscreens.

What is Cetyl Ethylhexanoate and what does it do in sunscreen?

Cetyl Ethylhexanoate is an emollient ester, a skin-softening oil-phase ingredient. In sunscreen it gives a light, dry, silky slip that helps the product spread evenly and feel less greasy. It also softens skin and refines the overall texture of the formula, which is why it shows up in many face and tinted sunscreens.

Is Cetyl Ethylhexanoate safe?

Yes, for the vast majority of people. It is a widely used cosmetic emollient ester with a long track record and no notable safety concerns at the levels used in skincare and sunscreen. It is generally well tolerated and non-irritating on normal skin.

Does Cetyl Ethylhexanoate clog pores?

Generally no. It is a light, dry-feeling ester rather than a heavy oil or wax, and it is widely used precisely because it spreads thin without a greasy residue. People very prone to congestion can react to almost any emollient, but for most skin it is a low concern, and the heavier oils or waxes elsewhere in a formula are far more likely culprits.

What else is Cetyl Ethylhexanoate called?

On a label it appears under its INCI name, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate. You may also see it written as cetyl octanoate or cetyl 2-ethylhexanoate, which refer to the same ester. It usually sits in the middle of an ingredient list alongside the other emollients.

Is Cetyl Ethylhexanoate natural or synthetic?

It is synthetic, made by joining a fatty alcohol with ethylhexanoic acid to form an ester. The building blocks can come from plant or petroleum sources, but the finished ingredient is lab-made and does not occur as such in nature. That is normal for cosmetic emollient esters and does not affect how well it performs.

Sunscreens with Cetyl Ethylhexanoate

We rate 134 sunscreens that contain it, showing the top 10 by overall score:

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