Cetyl Alcohol:  A Deep Down on the Ingredient and its Uses on the Skin

Have you ever discussed the importance of emollients in your skin care product with your friends or cousins? If not, you should, because some backstage ingredients are the base of the formulation and boost the hero ingredients to work to the best of their ability. One such emollient that we will talk about is – Cetyl Alcohol. Offering powerful moisturizing, nourishing, and softening properties for both skin and hair, Cetyl Alcohol is one of the best ingredients when it comes to including in personal care products. 

Don’t get misled by the term “alcohol” in the name because, unlike alcohol, this ingredient is not drying on the skin or cause irritation like traditional alcohol. Cetyl Alcohol differs from ethyl alcohol, a primary component of alcoholic beverages. The ingredient comes from the Latin word ‘Cetus,’ which means “whale oil,” as it was first made from whale oil. 

This blog will explore the uses of Cetyl Alcohol for skin and hair, how it benefits the baby’s skin, and a quick run-down on the perfect care for your little munchkin. 

Pro Tip: Try Mamaearth Moisturizing Daily Lotion for Babies! This toxin-free formulation is enriched with nourishing ingredients like Shea & Cocoa Butters, Calendula and Aloe Vera Extract that help relieve dryness and nourish the baby’s skin gently.

Understanding the Ingredient – Cetyl Alcohol 

Cetyl Alcohol is a necessary fatty alcohol used in cosmetic and skin care products in different forms. It plays different roles in different skincare products, such as emollients, emulsifiers, thickeners, and surfactants. Cetyl Alcohol contains alcohol loaded with fatty acids and oil, known as fatty alcohols. It is used to enhance product texture formulation and protect the skin from allergies and moisture loss. Cetyl Alcohol is also used in lotions and creams with thick textures, as it keeps the constituents bonded to prevent them from separating into oil or liquid. 

How Does Cetyl Alcohol Benefit the Skin and Hair?

Cetyl Alcohol is a base ingredient for many skincare products, which helps nourish the skin. Here are some of the uses of Cetyl Alcohol for skin and hair.

• Acts as an emulsifier and binds the two types of ingredients, such as oil and water, together, making a stable formulation. It boosts the effectiveness of the product on the skin. It acts as an emollient by forming a protective layer on the skin and preventing water loss. It also moisturizes, softens, and improves the texture of the skin & spreadability of the product on the skin. 
• Acts as a product thickener because it helps enhance the viscosity of personal care products, making its formulation thick, less runny, safe to use, and easier to spread.
• Cetyl Alcohol for skin acts as a surfactant and gently removes the grime and grease from the skin. It also removes dead skin cells, promotes skin cell growth, and supplies skin with essential nutrients.
• Cetyl Alcohol for hair effectively seals moisture in the hair’s cuticles, giving them a smooth & silky finish. 
• Cetyl Alcohol rescues hair from getting damaged, keeps the hair well-nourished, and prevents harmful chemicals from impacting negatively.

Why Should You Use Cetyl Alcohol for Babies?

Some factors that make this a preferred ingredient in baby products are: 

• Its emollient properties help moisturize and protect babies’ delicate skin. 
• It gives the products a smooth texture, making them fast-absorbing and easier to spread. 
• It creates a protective barrier on the skin’s surface, preventing moisture loss and keeping it soft and supple. This barrier also helps protect the skin against environmental aggressors that can aid in moisture loss. 

Pro Tip: With regular use of products that contain cetyl alcohol, you can promote overall skin health.

Introducing Our Stellar Baby Care Range

How could we miss out on this wonder ingredient? Mamaearth uses cetyl alcohol in its range of baby care products. A safe-to-use ingredient, it helps to keep their tender skin nourished and hydrated for long hours together. Since it is non-comedogenic, it does not clog pores or make the skin feel sticky or greasy post-application. 

• A daily massage for your little one is the best way to kick start their day and make them feel invigorated. A soothing massage also helps them relax their body. Use a gentle baby oil that is fast-absorbing and lightweight to give their skin the nourishment it needs. Adding to the list of oil is a good hair oil that boosts scalp nourishment. 

• Wash off these oils with a hydrating body wash that gently strips off the oil without drying out their skin. What’s more? They’ll keep your little one smelling fresh for hours together. Cleanse the excess oils from the scalp with a mildly lathering shampoo that soothes the scalp as it cleanses the oils. Our body washes and baby shampoos are packed with natural cleansers and have a tear-free formulation that gives them a pleasant bathing experience

*Regularly baby bath is necessary, but you should keep them not more than 2-3 times a   week as babies have sensitive scalp and lose out moisture quickly

• Post a bath, don’t forget to apply a nourishing body lotion that locks in the moisture and keeps their skin soft and supple throughout the day. These fast-absorbing lotions do not leave any sticky residue on the skin either. 

Mamaearth Moisturizing Daily Lotion for Babies is backed by Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Calendula Extract, and Aloe Vera Extract. It helps relieve skin dryness, keeps the skin irritation-free, and deeply nourishes the baby’s skin. 

Mamaearth Moisturizing Daily Lotion For Babies

Deeply Nourishes|Relieves Dryness| Irritation-Free

Caring For Toddlers

Why just babies? Why shouldn’t toddlers have fun with skin and hair care too? Here are some products from the house of Mamaearth that you can try for your toddlers too! 

Face wash: Use a gentle foaming Cetyl Alcohol face wash that creates a gentle lather that makes their face cleansing a fun experience. Naturally derived cleansers remove dirt and impurities without making their skin feel dry.

Bathing fun: The bathing experience can be fun for toddlers when introducing them to our range of absolutely fab-smelling soaps! A fragrance to suit their mood.

Body washes: What’s bathing without some exotic body washes that your toddlers will love to experience? Super gentle on the skin is a promise that Mamaearth gives!

Hydrating face cream: A fast-absorbing face cream that keeps their skin hydrated for hours and keeps dryness at bay. 

Slather some sunscreen: You can also try sunscreen for kids, which will help to shield their skin against environmental pollutants. If you cannot pick the perfect sunscreen for your baby’s skin, you can opt for Mamaearth Mineral-Based Sunscreen. It is packed with Zinc Oxide, Shea Butter, Aloe Vera, and Coco Butter, which deeply hydrates the skin and protects it against UV rays. 

Mamaearth Mineral Based Sunscreen

Protects from UV Rays|Deeply Nourishing & Soothing

Summing it Up

While Cetyl Alcohol is a safe ingredient for the skin and is proven to be a nourishing ingredient for skin and hair, we advise you to put a product infused with it through a patch test for any allergic reaction on the skin. 

We advise you to avoid using products that harm your skin unnecessarily. Instead, pick a brand that creates safety-certified natural products. As Asia’s 1st `MadeSafe- Certified brand,  Mamaearth stays committed to including safe and toxin-free ingredients in our natural products that remain effective for you and benefit your skin for a longer period.

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