FATTY ALCOHOL
Cetearyl Alcohol
- fatty alcohol
A waxy fatty alcohol - nothing like drying alcohol. It gives conditioners their body and leaves a soft, smoothing film on the hair.
- products in our library
- 2208
- of researched products
- 32%
- on the label, in our conditioners
- usually #2
- most common in
- Conditioner
- in water
- Oil-soluble
At a glance
Four things worth knowing about how this ingredient behaves on hair.
How much of it is left on hair between washes.
What it takes to get it off the hair again.
Where the class sits between an ester and a butter.
How much it slows water leaving the strand.
| Property | Level | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Buildup risk | Needs a cleanser | 4 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Rinses with a cleanser | 2 of 5 |
| Weight | Medium | 3 of 5 |
| Sealing | Moderate | 3 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Cetearyl Alcohol does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
Changes the texture in your hand. It says nothing about what reaches your hair.
Nothing like a drying alcohol: a waxy solid that softens and thickens.
Smooths the feel of the strand without adding hold or cleaning.
It takes a surfactant to remove, which matters on a low-detergent routine.
Charge
Carries no charge, so it neither clings to hair nor is pushed away by it. Nonionic ingredients are the mild, pH-tolerant workhorses of a formula.
Solubility
Needs a surfactant to remove. On a low-detergent routine it can build up over time.
Where it appears
Where it appears
One row per product category in our library: how many products list it, what share of that category that is, and where it typically sits on the label.
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Conditioner
847 products
In conditioner, cetearyl alcohol gives the emulsion its creamy structure and helps it spread evenly through the hair. Its emollient layer adds slip and a smoother feel. BASF
|
leading · #2 | |
Mask / treatment
422 products
|
leading · #2 | |
Leave-in
392 products
|
leading · #3 | |
Styler: curl cream
152 products
|
supporting · #4 | |
Co-wash
72 products
|
leading · #3 | |
Styler: paste
69 products
|
supporting · #5 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
43 products
|
leading · #3 | |
Heat protectant
41 products
|
leading · #3 | |
Scalp treatment
30 products
|
supporting · #4 | |
Shampoo
30 products
|
supporting · #6 |
13 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: volumizer
17 products
|
supporting · #5 | |
Finisher: serum
15 products
|
leading · #3 | |
Styler: lotion
13 products
|
supporting · #4 | |
Styler: mousse
13 products
|
supporting · #4 | |
Styler: gel
12 products
|
supporting · #4 | |
Finisher: oil
10 products
|
supporting · #6 | |
Finisher: anti frizz finish
9 products
|
leading · #3 | |
Styler: hairspray
6 products
|
supporting · #5 | |
Finisher: shine spray
5 products
|
supporting · #4 | |
Styler: refresh spray
5 products
|
supporting · #4 | |
Styler: edge control
2 products
|
supporting · #5 | |
Styler: texture spray
2 products
|
supporting · #4 | |
Relaxer
1 product
|
supporting · #4 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditioner | 847 | 75% | 2 | 1 | leading |
| Mask / treatment | 422 | 72% | 2 | 1 | leading |
| Leave-in | 392 | 57% | 3 | 2 | leading |
| Styler: curl cream | 152 | 67% | 4 | 2 | supporting |
| Co-wash | 72 | 72% | 3 | 1 | leading |
| Styler: paste | 69 | 35% | 5 | 2 | supporting |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 43 | 53% | 3 | 2 | leading |
| Heat protectant | 41 | 20% | 3 | 2 | leading |
| Scalp treatment | 30 | 10% | 4 | 2 | supporting |
| Shampoo | 30 | 2% | 6 | 2 | supporting |
| Styler: volumizer | 17 | 12% | 5 | 2 | supporting |
| Finisher: serum | 15 | 11% | 3 | 2 | leading |
| Styler: lotion | 13 | 36% | 4 | 2 | supporting |
| Styler: mousse | 13 | 6% | 4 | 2 | supporting |
| Styler: gel | 12 | 4% | 4 | 2 | supporting |
| Finisher: oil | 10 | 4% | 6 | 2 | supporting |
| Finisher: anti frizz finish | 9 | 28% | 3 | 2 | leading |
| Styler: hairspray | 6 | 2% | 5 | 2 | supporting |
| Finisher: shine spray | 5 | 5% | 4 | 3 | supporting |
| Styler: refresh spray | 5 | 14% | 4 | 3 | supporting |
| Styler: edge control | 2 | 5% | 5 | 3 | supporting |
| Styler: texture spray | 2 | 2% | 4 | 3 | supporting |
| Relaxer | 1 | 25% | 4 | 4 | supporting |
Position footprint
Every listing in our library, by position on the label.
| Positions | Zone | Listings |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | Leading | 1520 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 504 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 108 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 57 |
| 26+ | Trace | 19 |
How to read this
US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order.
So position tells you about relative amount only above that line, and we never convert a position into a percentage.
Who should pay attention
Formulation guidance for specific hair conditions, limited to the label positions where it applies. It is not a conclusion about any finished product, or about you.
May suit dry, coarse, or high-porosity hair that benefits from added slip and a more substantial conditioning film.
Read where it is listed in the first three ingredients or positions 4–8. Researched in our conditioners.Deposits with the cationic conditioners and helps them lie flat along the strand, which is where the detangling actually comes from.
Consider if hair is fine or easily flattened: a formula built heavily around fatty alcohols can feel richer than a lightweight conditioner.
Read where it is listed in the first three ingredients or positions 4–8. Researched in our conditioners.Rows marked “researched” were read for this ingredient and cited below; the rest are read from its chemical class.
Why it matters to shoppers
What seeing this ingredient tells you, what it does not, and the limits of our own method.
- a thicker, easier-to-spread formula
- a rich cream texture
- a softer feel
- something that lasts through the day
- an exact safety score (we do not publish one for any ingredient)
- how a finished product performs, which depends on the whole formula, not one line of it
- the exact percentage in a bottle, because label position never converts into a number
- a primary thickener near the top of the ingredient list in our conditioners
- it was on the printed ingredient list of every product we counted (we read labels, not marketing copy)
- anything about what the product does on hair
- dryness (it is a waxy solid, not a drying alcohol)
- that a product is right or wrong for you
We do not publish safety scores or hazard grades. Where a regulator has published a restriction or a use condition, we state it and cite it; otherwise we describe what the ingredient does and stop.
Commonly paired with
The ingredients that most often appear alongside this one in our library. We leave out the near-universal ones, because they pair with everything and tell you nothing.
- Behentrimonium Chloride · 1117
- Cetrimonium Chloride · 878
- Cetyl Alcohol · 738
- Ethylhexylglycerin · 731
- Benzyl Alcohol · 686
- Tocopherol · 595
- Isopropyl Alcohol · 588
- Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil · 577
- Caprylyl Glycol · 559
- Behentrimonium Methosulfate · 527
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to improve feel after rinsing, soften the strand, and carry the formula and let it dry.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
As I Am · Co-wash
Hemp Seed Oil Cowash Bar
#1 on the label · $2.21/oz
Attitude · Conditioner
Nourishing Conditioner - Bar
#1 on the label · $4.79/oz
Attitude · Conditioner
Strengthening Conditioner - Bar
#1 on the label · $5.32/oz
Attitude · Conditioner
Volumizing Conditioner - Bar
#1 on the label · $4.79/oz
Kitsch · Conditioner
Castor Oil Nourishing Conditioner Bar
#1 on the label · $8.00/oz
Kitsch · Conditioner
Purple Toning Conditioner Bar for Color-Treated & Grey Hair
#1 on the label · $5.93/oz
Kitsch · Conditioner
Repairing Argan Oil Conditioner Bar
#1 on the label · $5.56/oz
Kitsch · Conditioner
Shea Butter Hydrating Solid Conditioner Bar
#1 on the label · $5.19/oz
Kitsch · Mask / treatment
Strengthening Bond Repair Solid Hair Mask
#1 on the label · $7.41/oz
Act+Acre · Mask / treatment
Conditioning Hair Mask
#2 on the label · $8.44/oz
Act+Acre · Conditioner
Plant Based Stem Cell Conditioner™
#2 on the label · $4.20/oz
Acure · Mask / treatment
Bonding Hair Mask
#2 on the label · $2.40/oz
See all 2208 products in the library that list Cetearyl Alcohol
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
Cetearyl Alcohol
- CAS 8005-44-5
- PubChem 62238
- emollient
- thickener
- behentremonium methosulfate (and) cetearyl alcohol
- c14-22 alcohols
- cetearyl alcohol
- cetearyl alcohol (1-hexadecanol, 1-octadecanol)
- cetearyl alcohol (and) cetrimonium bromide
- cetearyl alcohol (coconut derived)
- cetearyl alcohol (coconut oil)
- cetearyl alcohol (derived from coconut oil)
- cetearyl alcohol (derived from coconut oil) (and) behentrimonium chloride
- cetearyl alcohol (from coconut oil)
- cetearyl alcohol (plant derived)
- cetearyl alcohol (vegetable)
- cetearyl alcohol/cetrimonium bromide
- cetearyl alcohol^
- ceteraryl alcohol
- cetostearyl alcohol
- cetyl (plant) alcohol
- cetyl and stearyl alcohols
- cetyl stearyl alcohol
- cetyl/stearyl alcohol
- cetyl/stearyl alcohol (wax)
For your hair?
Whether Cetearyl Alcohol matters for your hair depends on your hair.
the 1st most-listed oil, butter or emollient in our libraryWhat this ingredient does, and where it sits on the labels we have researched.
A verdict on any product that contains it, and never a safety grade.
We do not physically test your hair. Everything above comes from the ingredient lists in our library and from published references. The consultation is what turns it into a plan.
References
Sourced Backed by a manufacturer or regulatory source.
This ingredient
- Manufacturer or regulatory PubChem : Compound identity: CID 62238, CAS 8005-44-5, C34H72O2 · accessed 2026-08-28
By product type
- Retailer or trade BASF : Cetearyl alcohol identity and use as a consistency agent in hair-care emulsions. · accessed 2026-08-27
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library: 2208 of 6816 researched products list this ingredient. Nothing on this page is written per ingredient.
- The dots are levels, not scores. Each one comes from what kind of ingredient it is (its chemical class, charge and solubility) or from where it sits on the labels we have.
- US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order. Position tells you about relative amount only above that line, and we never convert a position into a percentage.
- The prominence bands (leading, supporting, secondary) are the same ones the product pages use to read a single label, applied here to the median position across a category.
- We do not publish safety scores or hazard grades. Where a regulator has published a restriction or a use condition, we state it and cite it; otherwise we describe what the ingredient does and stop.
- Identifiers and references appear only when a published source is attached to this entry. Without one, we leave the row out rather than fill it in.
- This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
- Entry last updated 2026-09-22. Product-page methodology: the product library.
