If you’re avoiding silicones like the plague, you may be familiar with Octyl Palmitate. It’s a common (and cheap) alternative. But, what is it exactly? There’s nothing wrong with silicones (yes, really), but if you don’t want to use them, you’ll probably hope the alternative is a natural one. And what does it do in skincare? Does it have any special properties for your skin that makes them even better than silicones? And most importantly, is it safe for everyone, including sensitive skin and pregnant women? So many questions, so little answers… Wait, I do have all the answers. Let’s find out:
What Is Octyl Palmitate?
First things first: Octyl Palmitate is best known as Ethylhexyl Palmitate. Isn’t it annoying when skincare ingredients have more than one name?! And not one of them something you can easily remember… Just saying…
This clear liquid is an ester of 2-ethylhexyl alcohol and palmitic acid. Palmitic acid is a common saturated fatty acid naturally found in animas and plants – and a major component of palm oil. If If that’s a dealbreaker for you, avoid products that use it.
You can make Octyl Palmitate in a lab or produce it from natural plant fragrances. At room temperature, it looks like a clear, colourless liquid.
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What Does Octyl Palmitate Do In Skincare?
Octyl Palmitate is often used as a substitute for silicones and mineral oil thanks to its dry-slip feel. Like silicones, it’s a multitasker too:
- Emollient: It reduces water loss, keeping skin hydrated for longer. Hydrated skin is smoother, smoother, and plumper. The best part? It leaves no greasy residue on. It’s a dry emollient that feels just like silicones.
- Fragrance fixative: It helps perfume or scent stick to the skin, so they last longer. Good in perfumes, not so good in skincare products (fragrance can be irritating for sensitive skin).
- Lubricant: It reduces friction when you rub it against your skin, making application smoother.
- Pigment wetting agent: A fancy way of saying it helps to improve the distribution of pigments in a formulation, so they don’t all accumulate in one spot.
- Solvent: It helps dissolve other ingredients into a solution. This also helps enhance the penetration of active ingredients, so they work better and faster.
Related: Is Fragrance In Skincare As Bad As Paula Begoun Says?
What Are The Best Skincare Products With Octyl Palmitate (Ethylhexyl Palmitate)?
- BeautyBio The Nightly Retinol Repair Serum ($95.00): A retinal serum that helps reduce wrinkles and fade away dark spots in a moisturising and soothing base. Available at BeautyBio and Ulta.
- Bioderma Cicabio Creme ($10.00): A no-frills moisturising cream with sugar-derived humectants that draw moisture into your skin and Centella Asiatica to soothe irritations. Available at Beauty Bay and Boots.
- Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm ($41.00): A silky cleansing balm with natural oils that melt makeup and impurities while moisturising skin. Available at Boots, Clinique, Look Fantastic, Sephora, and Ulta.
Is Octyl Palmitate Comedogenic?
Yes. Like all ingredients with Palmitate in the name (Isopropyl Palmitate, Myristyl Palmitate, etc), Octyl Palmitate can clog pores and make you breakout. Now, don’t freak out. Just because something could make you breakout, it doesn’t mean you will. It’s more likely to happen if you have oily/acne-prone skin and are using a cream with a high amount of Octyl Palmitate. Tiny doses are usually safe for oily skin, too. But if you’re acne-prone and see Octyl Palmitate in the top 5 ingredients on the label, run away!
Related: What Skincare Ingredients Are Comedogenic?
Octyl Palmitate Side Effects
Breakouts aside, Octyl Palmitate is safe for everyone, including sensitive skin and pregnant women. Sure, it may cause irritations in high concentrations (40-50%), but that’s not an issue in skincare products. The concentrations are much lower there.
The Bottom Line
Octyl Palmitate makes skin softer and smoother and enhances the texture and feel of skincare products. It’s safe for everyone, but can clog pores and cause acne in acne-prone skin.
Thanks for the info, I have to take a look at the face lotions that I use to see if it’s in there.
.-= Dao´s last blog ..Sunday Read List: GILTY Pleasures Blog Tour, Volume 2 =-.
You’re welcome Dao 🙂
I have been a Massage Therapist for over 22 years. It seems as though I have developed an allergy to Octyl Palmitate. I need help finding a Massage cream without this ingredient in it. Any suggestions? I have considered just Grapeseed Oil or Olive Oil, but am afraid if I use just those products that I will develop a sensitivity to those as well. I love the feel of a cream rather than an oil.
This is very discouraging and I would welcome any feedback.
Thank You.
Tia, I’m sorry to hear you are allergic to this ingredient. Unfortunately I’m not sure what cream to suggest. I’ve never used creams for massages, I usually stick to jojoba oil or essential oils. Hopefully someone else will have other suggestions for you.
I’ve been using a cream but it has isopropyl myristate (also an derivative of coconut oil like Octyl Palmitate) – you could try it. It is also “comedogenic” or can cause drying and irritations but by switching back and forth you may minimize the irritation. Coconut oil itself is considered comedogenic so I guess all it’s derivatives are too.
Shea butter based creams rate very low on the irritation/comedogenic scale so I suggest trying one of these. They have pretty good glide – not as nice as the octyl palmitate… but that’s why they make the chemicals, I guess. They work for their purpose, but holistically they suck as they have bad side effects.
Best wishes!
Erica, thanks for your comment. I love Shea Butter creams, they are very moisturizing and the risk of a bad reaction is really low. As for Isopropyl Myristate, that does its job well but I can’t use creams with it because it breaks me out really bad. But of course, everyone has different skin so others may not experience the same side effects.
I would like to know more as I am a fellow LMT in practice for 7 years with possibly the same issue. I have been using massage gel for the past two years with octyl palmitate and am wondering have you undergone allergy testing? How do you know you are allergic to this specific product?
Samantha, to find out if you have an allergy to it, you need to do a patch test and see how your skin reacts to the product. If it gets red and itchy, you are allergic to it and should stop using the product straight away.
I am also a massage therapist and have developed chronic itchy eczema on hands and forearms due to numerous products that I’ve used over the years. I use jojoba oil from Boston jojoba Co. organic, its pricey but worth it. I’ve never been able to use the creams for very long eventually i break out. The worse one was for me was the all purpose from Biotone. Good Luck. Homeopathy works really well for eczema. Find someone who is trained in classical homeopathy, don’t attempt to treat yourself, its complicated and it takes a skilled homeopathic person to know what remedy to use.
Paula, I’m sorry you developed eczema because of the products you used, how awful. I’m glad Jojoba oil works for you and thanks for sharing your experience and tips.
I’ve been using a lip gloss that I got from Ulta and it’s been about a week that I’ve had it, but today my lips started to burn and were slightly swollen. I thought I’d look up what’s in the gloss and found this, but they said somewhere else that it would have to have at least 40-50% of octyl palmitate to cause irritation, but I’m unsure of what the real cause might be.
Ashley, I’m sorry to hear that. Octyl Palmitate can cause irritations to some people, but yes, usually in high concentrations. But without seeing the entire ingredient list I can’t say for certain that’s the culprit. It may also be a combination of ingredients that’s causing a bad reaction for you.
Is this ingredient safe during pregnancy? I am having a terrible time finding an all natural lotion.
LO, to the best of my knowledge, it is. Here you can find a list of ingredients you should avoid during pregnancy: http://www.futurederm.com/2011/08/16/daily-question-which-skin-care-ingredients-and-supplements-should-pregnant-women-avoid/
I noticed that most of the massage lotions and oils that you ladies have used are chemical based. The best way to avoid chemical irritations is to use botanical based products made by botanical companies such as Arbonne.
Kayla, everything made of matter is a chemical. Therefore, even water and plant-based ingredients are chemicals. Or better, they are made up of several different chemicals. There are both good and bad chemicals, regardless of their origin. Natural doesn’t equal better and safer. Sometimes it does, but not always.
I have just found out that I’m allergic to ethylhexyl palmitate yesterday. For almost 10yrs now, around summer time I would get blisters in patches on my hands and fingers, thought it was a form of dry skin due to only having it seasonally. After a 3 1/2hr ER visit I was informed that I have an allergic reaction, that covered my hands, arms, shoulders, neck and face, to this ingredient, found in almost all sunscreens. Is this also the reason I get these reactions when I wear makeup? Any suggestions on sunscreen and skin care products that don’t use this as an active ingredient?
Thanks,
Amanda
Amanda, sorry to hear about your allergy. I recommend you stay away from any skincare products with SPF. Instead, for sun protection, use only a sunscreen with zinc oxide. You can check out my fave picks here: http://www.beautifulwithbrains.com/zinc-oxide-best-sunscreen/
Hello, do you know of any ingredients in cosmetics that achieve the same purpose as octyl palmitate without being palm-oil derived? are there any? i’m trying to stop buying things containing palm oil but the majority of my favourite makeup brands use octyl palmitate in eyeshadows etc
Danielle, octyl palmitate is often used to replace silicones. But I’m not sure if those are a valid alternative for you? I know some people don’t like using them either.