Chemistry

As you can tell by the name, PEG-7 olivate is derived from oleic acid, which, in this case, comes from olive oil. It seems that what you’ll find at your supplier is OlivEm 300, a brand name for the product from B&T in Italy. It’s a polyethylene glycol ester, which means it’s considered a surfactant with...

You’ve seen these esters around, with names like PEG-7 olivate or PEG-12 laurate, but what the heck are polyethylene glycol esters? Point of interest: What we’ve been taking a look at for the last week are called alkyl esters, just one of the many types of esters! There are a ton of different types –...

Super Sterol is a brand name for the product C10-30 cholesterol esters, and it’s produced by Croda. It’s derived from wool wax and shows excellent spreading and excellent adhesion properties. It is a clear, white to yellow, odourless oil like substance that is quite thick compared to other esters. Our stratum corneum lipids contain cholesterol,...

Cetearyl ethylhexanoate (also known as cetearyl octanoate, and found under the trade name Tegosoft Liquid, Luvitor EHO, Schercemol CO ester, and Crodamol CAP) is a light, colourless liquid that does have a faint odour. It has a shelf life of 24 months and can be used at up to 25% in our creations. Its viscosity...

C12-15 alkyl benzoate is an ester you’ll see a lot in commercial products as it is an emollient, skin feel modifier (makes other oils feel less greasy), an anti-tackiness agent, lubricant, and binder and wetting agent for mineral make-up products. It also works as a solvent for sunscreen ingredients, making it easier to incorporate those...