Hydroxystearic Acid

A strongly emollient and occlusive saturated fatty acid isolated from castor oil.
Moisturizing
Other functions
Origin
Hydroxystearic Acid

Overview

Hydroxystearic acid is a semi-synthetic ingredient – a single isolated, saturated fatty acid that is made from castor oil and ricinoleic acid, its main fatty acid.

Hydroxystearic acid is obtained by isolating the ricinoleic acid and then removing the unsaturated double bonds through hydrogenation. It takes on the form of solid, whitish flakes and is becoming an increasingly popular ingredient in skincare products.

It is strongly emollient and occlusive moisturizing and may be found in cleansing lotions (in the form of hydroxystearate salt).

Science

1
https://patents.google.com/patent/EP1330534A1/en