Ethylhexyl Stearate

About This Product

Ethylhexyl stearate, also written octyl stearate, is the ester of stearic acid with 2-ethylhexanol. It is a clear, nearly colourless, low-viscosity oil with almost no odour, and carries the INCI name Ethylhexyl Stearate. The branch in the alcohol is the whole point of the molecule. Straight-chain stearate esters of similar molecular weight pack neatly and are waxy solids; the ethyl branch on the eighth carbon frustrates that packing, so the ester stays a mobile liquid well below room temperature. What a formulator notices is the sensory result: it spreads quickly and evenly, leaves a dry, silky, non-greasy after-feel rather than the heavy film of a mineral oil, and adds gloss without tack. It is a good solvent for UV filters and for oil-soluble actives and pigments, which is why it appears in sun care and in colour cosmetics as a pigment wetting and dispersing medium. Outside personal care the same properties make it a lubricant and softener: it plasticises and lubricates in plastics processing, improves flow and gloss in coatings and printing inks, and acts as a softener and penetrant in textile and leather finishing. It is used as an emollient in creams, lotions, sun care and colour cosmetics, as a pigment dispersing medium, as a softener and penetrant in textile and leather finishing, and as a lubricant and flow aid in plastics, coatings and inks. Bio Green Chem supplies ethylhexyl stearate to specification on ester content, acid value, colour, viscosity and moisture, in 180 kg or 900 kg drums.