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Myristic Acid

What Myristic Acid is & what it does

A fatty acid used as a thickener and, with alkali, to help form emulsifiers and cleansing systems. It contributes structure and a smooth feel.

What is Myristic Acid and what does it do in sunscreen?

Myristic Acid is a fatty acid used mainly as a thickener and texture builder. In sunscreen it adds structure and a smooth feel, and when combined with an alkali it can help form emulsifiers and gentle cleansing systems. It is a workhorse formulation ingredient rather than an active, helping the product hold together and spread well.

Is Myristic Acid safe?

Yes. Myristic Acid is a common fatty acid found naturally in many plant and animal fats, and it is well established and widely used in cosmetics. It is not flagged as an allergen in our data and is well tolerated by most skin. At the levels used in sunscreen it is considered gentle.

Does Myristic Acid clog pores?

It carries a low comedogenicity rating in our data, so the pore-clogging risk is on the lower side rather than zero. For most people it is unlikely to cause breakouts at the small amounts used to build texture. If your skin is very congestion-prone, you may want to keep an eye on how it behaves, but it is not a high-risk ingredient.

Does Myristic Acid feed fungal acne (malassezia)?

It can. Myristic Acid is a free fatty acid, and the malassezia yeast linked to fungal acne can use fatty acids like this as a food source. People prone to fungal acne (malassezia folliculitis) may therefore prefer to avoid it. This is one narrow skin concern, not a general safety issue: for everyone else Myristic Acid is harmless and routine.

What is Myristic Acid on an ingredient list (INCI)?

Myristic Acid is the INCI name printed on the label, and it is a saturated fatty acid that occurs naturally in fats such as coconut and palm. On a label it usually sits with the other structuring and emulsifying ingredients rather than the actives. You will often see it alongside related fatty acids like palmitic or stearic acid.

Sunscreens with Myristic Acid

We rate 153 sunscreens that contain it, showing the top 10 by overall score:

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