A lot of cosmetics and personal care products rely on ingredients that work best in ensuring that they protect the surface of the skin and make it appear smooth and soft, which is why Glyceryl Stearate is one such ingredient that is preferred in the making of various personal care products and cosmetics.
It has great properties that lubricate the skin’s surface, giving it a smooth and soft appearance.
It is also great for moisturizers, as it slows down the rate at which water is lost from the skin by creating a barrier on top of it.
What Is Glyceryl Stearate?
Glyceryl Stearate refers to the natural glyceryl ester that comes from stearic acid (stearic acid and glycerin). It has a white or cream color and looks like a wax solid. This ester is moisturizing, conditions the skin, and also hydrates the skin, thanks to the glycerin component.
It can also be defined as a naturally obtained fatty acid that is mostly used as an emulsifier. It is derived from soy, vegetable oil, or palm kernel and is also present in the body naturally.
It is mostly used in the manufacture of skin care products and cosmetics, as it has shown that it can protect the skin from the free-radical damage caused by the sun.
It is also used in the manufacture of various other personal care products and cosmetics. It is found in creams, lotions, powders, makeup bases, skin cleansing products, foundations, eye shadow, mascara, hair rinses and conditioners, sunscreen, and suntan products.
Benefits of Glyceryl Stearate
Glyceryl Stearate offers a number of benefits in body care systems and natural bath products. It has been found to be extremely beneficial to the human skin due to its conditioning, hydration, and moisturizing effects.
It is a natural substance, meaning that it is a safe and non-toxic ingredient that does not pose any dangerous effects to the human skin, except in rare circumstances when an individual’s skin is overly sensitive.
This ester is preferred in manufacturing skin care products, as it is said to be the ideal lubricant that works wonders on the human skin and leaves skin looking soft and smooth. It is also capable of penetrating the human skin and rejuvenating it, as well as forming a proper barrier on top of it, thereby reducing moisture loss.
Glyceryl Stearate is so popular among skin care products manufacturing companies due to the fact that it is an outstanding stabilizer, which makes it great for manufacturing cosmetic foundations.
It is also known for reducing the greasiness of oils without meddling with the moisturizing benefits that such products offer to the human skin. It has unique properties that help in keeping mascara from clumping, ensures that the eye shadow is applied smoothly, and gives the eyeliner a smooth feel when applied to the skin.
This ester is also used in various cosmetics and personal care products due to its ability to prevent freezing and eradicating the surface crust that forms on the products when they are stored in a preserved medicine cabinet.
Side Effects
Although Glyceryl Stearate is widely considered to be a non-toxic and extremely safe ingredient, there are some people who experience some allergic reactions or skin irritation from using products that contain it.
In order to avoid these side effects, it is advisable to test a small amount of any product that contains this substance on a small area of your skin to check to see if you will observe any allergic reactions. It is also recommended that you consult your physician if you are not sure whether you are allergic to using products that contain this substance.
As far as meeting the safety requirements are concerned, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has included Glyceryl Stearate or glyceryl monostearate in its Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) list of affirmed direct food additives.
The safety of this substance has further been reviewed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) expert panel. This expert panel has evaluated all the scientific data available on the substance and declared it safe for use in the manufacture of cosmetics as well as personal care products.
Additional Safety Information
The CIR safety review also gave additional safety information on this substance by stating that its reviews yielded no evidence of it having any adverse effects on the reproduction process as well as no carcinogenic effects at all.
A number of human contact studies have shown that products containing this compound are non-phototoxic, non-photosensitizing, and non-sensitizing.
When the compound is derived from plants, it can be used in manufacturing personal care products and cosmetics that are to be marketed in Europe, as it adheres to the general provisions established by the Cosmetics Regulation of the EU.
Top Glyceryl Stearate Products
As mentioned above, this compound is used in the manufacture of various products that include creams, gels, lotions, cleansers, conditioners, shampoos, fragrance, and styling products.
It is also involved in the manufacture of skin care products like anti-aging skin refiners, eye creams, and night recovery creams.
There are also some beauty products that are manufactured using this compound like eye shadows, eyeliners, and mascara.
A number of top recommended products manufactured with Glyceryl Stearate include:
- Arcona Peptide Hydrating Complex
- Osmotics Necollete
- Amarte Eyeconic Eye Cream and The Organic Pharmacy Body Lotion
- Nature’s Beauty Bee Kiwi Hand and Nail Repair Cream
- Stemulation Facial Serum
- Kat Burki Body Butter
- Suntegrity Natural Moisturizing Face Sunscreen and primer SPF 30
- Royal Treatment Massage Cream
- Skin Tightening Serum
- Shea & Aloe Protective Body Lotion
- DermaLight Spot Correcting Serum H
Glyceryl Stearate Review Summary
It is clear from all the above that Glyceryl Stearate is a natural compound that is derived from either soy, vegetable oil, or palm kernel and it is also present in the body in its natural form.
It is widely used in the manufacture of skin care products and a number of cosmetics due to its great properties discussed above.
Chemically, this compound has been used in stabilizing products, making products freeze-resistant, stopping them from forming crusts on their surfaces, and decreasing water evaporation. It has also been used in reducing the greasiness of some oils found in cosmetics and various other personal care products.
Lastly, it forms a safe and non-toxic ingredient for manufacturing all these products and this explains why this compound is popular among the manufacturers of personal care products and cosmetics.
