Ingredient

Stearyl Alcohol

Low risk

FunctionEmollient

What it is — Stearyl Alcohol (INCI: Stearyl Alcohol) is a fatty alcohol that acts as an emollient and thickener. Despite the name, it is a waxy, non-drying material, not the kind of alcohol that feels stripping.

What it does — It is commonly used to build body and a smooth, conditioned texture in creams and conditioners, and to help stabilize emulsions.

Typical use — It appears in conditioners, creams, lotions, masks and balms, where it thickens the base and leaves a soft skin- or hair-feel.

Who it suits / good to know — Generally well tolerated across skin and hair types. Rich fatty alcohols can feel heavy on very oily skin, so texture preference varies by person; on hair they are valued for slip and softness.

Safety — DHALIORA grades it low risk in its EWG-style, ingredient-by-ingredient review. This reflects the ingredient in general and is not medical advice; patch-test if your skin is easily irritated.

How grades are set — Risk reflects our own reading of publicly available safety data, an EWG-style reading shown at the worst-case grade we've assigned this ingredient across products. It isn't a third party's proprietary score, and it isn't medical advice. Always read the packaging and patch-test where indicated.
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