Common Name(s): Acetyl triethylhexyl citrate,emollient ester,spreading skin conditioner

CAS Number: N/a

DESCRIPTION

What It Does: Provides skin-softening emolliency with specific spreading value determined by the acid-alcohol ester components — delivering a reproducible sensory profile for targeted skin care and colour cosmetic texture outcomes.

Why It's Used: Synthetic emollient esters enable formulation precision unavailable from natural oils — spreading value, viscosity, and polarity precisely engineered through acid-alcohol selection for targeted sensory outcomes consistently batch to batch.

How It Works: Ester physicochemistry: acid chain length and branching determines lipophilicity (logp); alcohol type determines viscosity and spreading rate. low-polarity esters (diethylhexyl adipate, logp 6.5) provide fast-spreading dry feel; medium-polarity (isopropyl myristate, logp 7) moderate spreading; high-polarity (peg esters) provide water-compatible emolliency. the ester c=o provides polar adhesion to skin surface while alkyl chains provide lipophilic lubrication.

Typically Found In: Skin care,colour cosmetics,emollient bases

TECHNICAL DETAILS

Primary Category: Functional ingredient – emollient

Secondary Functions: Barrier sealing,softening

Application Areas:

Typical Concentration Range: 1%–30%

SOURCING & ETHICS

Vegan Status: Conditional

Halal Status: Yes

Source Notes: Plant-derived, synthetic or animal-derived. verify source.

SKIN COMPATIBILITY

Irritancy Rating: 1/5 – very low

Comedogenicity Rating: 1/5 – low; formulation-dependent

Sensitivity Concerns: Non-irritating.

Safe for Sensitive Skin: Yes

SAFETY & COMPATIBILITY

Safety Profile: Excellent safety profile. ewg score: 1.

Works Well With: Humectants,ceramides,actives as carrier

Avoid Combining With: No significant incompatibilities

SCIENTIFIC NOTE

Non-phthalate ester selection is essential — dibutyl phthalate (dbp), dehp, and dinp are restricted/prohibited in eu and california cosmetics. non-phthalate alternatives (adipates, sebacates, citrates) provide equivalent spreading and compatibility without the endocrine disruption concerns.

Last Verified: Cosing database,acetyl triethylhexyl citrate emollient ester review

Primary Sources: 2026-03-12