Understandably, this can feel like a personal stab to your skin care-loving heart. Don’t be so quick to toss that product, though. Cetearyl alcohol is a commonly misunderstood ingredient—and it’s not as bad as you might think. Chemically speaking, cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol. It’s made of cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol, two fatty alcohols also used in skin care. On ingredient labels, cetearyl alcohol is sometimes listed as cetostearyl alcohol, cetyl/stearyl alcohol, or C16-18 alcohol. “By definition, an alcohol is a general term for an organic compound with an oxygen atom [attached] to hydrogen atom,” explains Frey. In the chemistry world, this is called a hydroxyl group (-OH). Thus, as long as a compound has a hydroxyl group, it’s called an alcohol. When most of us think of “alcohol,” we’re actually thinking of one type: simple alcohols. These are thin, water-like substances that can dissolve fats and lipids, says Frey. They can also irritate the skin at high concentrations, which is why many folks avoid products containing alcohol. “Examples of simple alcohols include ethyl alcohol or isopropyl alcohol, [also known as] rubbing alcohol,” notes Frey. And then there’s fatty alcohols, which have more complex chemical structures than simple alcohols. This structural difference results in totally different properties. Fatty alcohols are usually oily and waxy, not drying, and commonly used as emulsifiers, says Frey. Cetearyl alcohol is one of those alcohols. So, about that “alcohol-free” label. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)1, “alcohol-free” refers to the lack of ethyl alcohol—not alcohol in general. Fatty alcohols (like cetearyl alcohol) are fair game. According to Frey, most skin care products on the market are made of water and oily ingredients. (These oily ingredients function as emollients, fragrances, and other purposes.) Cetearyl alcohol stops the water and oils from separating, which maintains the composition of the product. Yet, it is possible to have an allergic reaction. This risk in higher in people who have eczema, as they have a compromised skin barrier, and who often use multiple topical medicines. In fact, an article from the 1980s2 states that about 1% of people with eczema are allergic to cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, or a mixture of both—cetearyl alcohol. A 2007 article also reported five cases of allergic contact dermatitis due to cetearyl alcohol. Cetearyl alcohol allergies are extremely rare, though. If you develop irritation or swelling after using a product with cetearyl alcohol, consider if it was caused by another ingredient. When in doubt, talk to your dermatologist.
