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Sucrose Palmitate

What Sucrose Palmitate is & what it does

Sucrose Palmitate is a sugar-based emulsifier formed from sucrose and palmitic acid, a fatty acid. In skincare and sunscreen formulas it helps blend oil and water into a stable, gentle emulsion and can give products a soft, smooth feel. As a sucrose ester, it is often favored in formulations aiming for a mild, naturally derived emulsifier system.

Is Sucrose Palmitate safe in skincare?

Sucrose Palmitate is a sugar-based emulsifier used in cosmetics and is generally considered safe and gentle for topical use at the levels found in skincare and sunscreen products. It is often chosen for mild, naturally derived emulsifier systems. As with any ingredient, patch testing is sensible if your skin is very sensitive.

Does Sucrose Palmitate clog pores?

Sucrose Palmitate is used as a gentle emulsifier rather than a heavy oil, and it is not widely flagged as a strongly pore-clogging ingredient. How a product affects your skin depends mostly on its full formula. If you are acne-prone, observing how the finished product behaves is the most reliable approach.

Is Sucrose Palmitate natural or synthetic?

Sucrose Palmitate is typically described as a naturally derived ingredient, made by combining sucrose (sugar) with palmitic acid (a fatty acid). Although it is produced through processing, its starting materials are plant-based. This is one reason it appears in formulas aiming for a more natural emulsifier system.

Sunscreens with Sucrose Palmitate

We rate 14 sunscreens that contain it, showing the top 10 by overall score:

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