Is Cetyl Palmitate safe in cosmetics?
Cetyl Palmitate has a safety rating of "EXCELLENT" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
Excellent
Emollient
Cetyl Palmitate
Also known as: BRN 1805188, EINECS 208-736-6, UNII-5ZA2S6B08X, WE(16:0/16:0), hexadecanyl hexadecanoate (+2 more)
INCI: CETYL PALMITATE
Cetyl Palmitate (CAS 540-10-3) is a cosmetic emollient functioning as Waxy ester of cetyl alcohol (C16) and palmitic acid (C16:0). Functions as. EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: permitted. Industrial safety data is also available in the chemical safety database. Same-CAS public records also appear in industrial chemical safety and pharmaceutical data.
View industrial chemical safety profile for CAS 540-10-3 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Function
Waxy ester of cetyl alcohol (C16) and palmitic acid (C16:0). Functions as thickener, co-emulsifier, and consistency agent in anhydrous formulations, balms, and stick products. Provides waxy skin feel and enhanced product structure. Fully saturated with excellent oxidative stability.
Safety Rating
EXCELLENT
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
CIR reviewed and considered safe at current use concentrations. Synthetically produced. Palm-derived supply chain: EUDR plot-level traceability and RSPO certification required for EU market compliance.
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Cetyl Palmitate.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
100 - 1,000 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
Additional Ingredient Properties
10 property records from structured ingredient metadata.
baby_pediatric
{"cas_number": "CAS-FUNC-18", "ingredient_class": "other", "pediatric_safety_rating": "good", "minimum_age_months": "3", "neonatal_safe": "no", "premature_infant_safe": "insufficient_data", "skin_barrier_maturity_consideration": "Functional ingredient - generally safe", "transepidermal_absorption_risk_pediatric": "low", "systemic_exposure_concern_pediatric": "low", "dose_per_kg_body_weight_concern…
comedogenicity_detail
{"comedogenicity_rating": "4", "irritancy_rating": "1", "skin_type_suitability": "dry", "acne_safe": "no", "source": "Fulton 1989"}
concentration
{"min_concentration_pct": "1.0", "max_concentration_pct": "5.0", "typical_concentration_pct": "3.0", "product_type": "Body Lotion", "function_at_concentration": "Emollient", "source": "CIR Safety Assessment"}
deodorant
{"cas_number": "540-10-3", "ingredient_class": "other", "mechanism_of_action": "other", "antiperspirant_efficacy_sweat_reduction_pct": "0", "deodorant_efficacy_hours": "0", "odor_reduction_pct": "0", "bacteriostatic": "no", "bactericidal": "no", "microbiome_impact": "neutral", "axillary_microbiome_effect": "varies by ingredient", "MIC_value_if_antimicrobial": "varies", "astringency_level": "varies…
ecotoxicity
{"biodegradable": "yes", "biodegradation_days": "60-90", "bioaccumulative": "no", "aquatic_toxicity_level": "low", "coral_reef_safe": "yes", "marine_toxicity": "low aquatic toxicity", "freshwater_toxicity": "minimal impact", "endocrine_disruptor": "no", "persistent_organic_pollutant": "no", "microplastic": "no", "nano_particle": "no", "hawaii_banned": "no", "eu_restricted_environmental": "no", "pa…
emulsion_hlb
{"hlb_required_as_emulsifier": "no", "hlb_required_of_oil_phase": "10", "co_emulsifier_pairs": "polysorbate_60,ceteth_20", "optimal_oil_phase_pct": "15-40", "optimal_water_phase_pct": "60-85", "droplet_size_range_um": "5-45", "creaming_resistance": "moderate", "coalescence_resistance": "excellent", "ostwald_ripening_resistance": "excellent", "freeze_thaw_stability": "good", "rheology_modifier_type…
hair_care
{"hair_function": "conditioning", "hair_type_suitability": "medium/coarse", "curl_pattern_suitability": "all", "porosity_suitability": "low/medium", "protein_sensitivity": "neutral", "moisture_protein_balance": "yes", "cg_method_approved": "not-a-silicone", "silicone_type": "not-a-sulfate", "sulfate_type": "no", "drying_alcohol": "no", "fatty_alcohol": "no", "heat_protectant": "yes", "color_safe":…
lipid
{"cas_number": "540-10-3", "lipid_class": "ester", "botanical_source": "synthetic/derived", "plant_part": "derived", "extraction_method": "refined", "fatty_acid_profile_main_pct": "C16 palmitate ester", "omega_classification": "saturated", "comedogenicity_rating_0_5": "0-1", "absorption_rate": "fast", "skin_feel": "dry", "spreadability": "excellent", "occlusive_properties": "low", "emollient_grade…
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Anti-adhesive/cohesive
Deodorizer
Emulsifier
Fragrance
Humectant
Lubricating agent
Softener and conditioner
Viscosity modifier
Regulatory List Membership (3)
EU Regulated in Personal Care
IFRA Fragrance Transparency List
Consumer Product Chemical
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Cetyl Palmitate.
Regulatory Flags
thickener
emollient-ester
palm-derivative
eudr-compliance
rspo-required
oxidatively-stable
synthetically-defined
ifra_fragrance
Known Synonyms
BRN 1805188
EINECS 208-736-6
UNII-5ZA2S6B08X
WE(16:0/16:0)
hexadecanyl hexadecanoate
n-hexadecanyl palmitate
palmitic acid, cetyl ester
Chemical Function
Softener and conditioner
Deodorizer
Fragrance
Humectant
Anti-adhesive/cohesive
Regulatory Lists
Europe; Personal care
Europe; Personal care
Canada; pharmaceutical
inert_ingredient; non_food_use; Pesticides
IFRA Transparency
consumer_product
Australian Status
AICIS status: listed
Cross-Vertical Safety Context
Same-CAS public records found in pharmaceutical data.
SOURCE
ChEMBL / DrugCentral / FAERS
DB_PHARMA CAS match
Pharmaceutical Data
Same-CAS rows from the pharmaceutical spoke database.
Compound
CETYL PALMITATE
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL2106073
Max Phase
-1
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cetyl Palmitate allowed in the EU?
Cetyl Palmitate EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Cetyl Palmitate do in cosmetics?
Cetyl Palmitate functions as: Waxy ester of cetyl alcohol (C16) and palmitic acid (C16:0). Functions as thickener, co-emulsifier, and consistency agent in anhydrous formulations, balms, and stick products. Provides waxy skin feel and enhanced product structure. Fully saturated with excellent oxidative stability.. It is classified as a Emollient in our database. CAS number: 540-10-3.
Is Cetyl Palmitate used outside cosmetics?
Cetyl Palmitate also appears in industrial chemical safety and pharmaceutical data. The cross-vertical cards on this page render same-CAS public rows from the matched databases.
Compliance Tools
Check Cetyl Palmitate compliance across multiple jurisdictions:
Ingredient Decoder
Paste a full ingredient list for instant analysis
82 Allergen Checker
Check for EU declarable fragrance allergens
Substance Compliance
Check compliance across multiple jurisdictions
MoS Calculator
Calculate Margin of Safety using SCCS methodology
Heavy Metal Limits
Compare limits across jurisdictions
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