Ingredient glossary / Emollient
Cetearyl alcohol
On the label: Cetearyl Alcohol · Emollient
What it is
A waxy fatty alcohol, not the drying kind: it thickens creams and leaves a soft feel. 'Alcohol-free' claims refer to ethanol, not to this.
Emollients: Emollients fill the gaps between skin cells and leave the surface smooth and soft; oils, butters and esters.
Wikidata: Mixture of fatty alcohols. Q1057786 →
In the research
27 PubMed papers mention it with skin, cosmetics or hair; the three most recent:
- HEC-Based Emulgels as Vehicles for NaDES Extracts: Safety, Efficacy, and Sensory Evaluation · Gels (Basel, Switzerland), 2026
- Grape Pomace Extract-Loaded Liposomes Enriched Cream Formulations for Skincare · Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 2026
- Spontaneous Emulsification as a Low-Energy Strategy for Designing and Optimizing Resveratrol-Loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carriers · ACS omega, 2026
A paper is a paper, not a verdict: titles are listed so you can read them, and a study on cells or mice says little about a cream on a face.
Products whose label lists it
7 on the siteMatched from the ingredient list the supplier printed; the position in the list (first or thirtieth) is on each product page.
Made in the USA
Made in the USA
Made in the USA
Made in the USA
Made in the USA
Made in the USA
Made in the USAOther emollients
Dew & Balm describes ingredients from the public record and makes no claim about what a product will do for you. Statements about dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA. If a product causes a reaction, stop using it; a reaction that spreads or affects breathing is a call to a doctor or 911.