What does Palmitic acid do?

Used in cosmetics as an emollient and an emulsifier.

Is Palmitic acid safe?

Moderate concern: no hazard classifications on record. It is listed for cosmetic use in the EU.

beauty
cleaning
food
industrial

Palmitic acid

CAS 60605-23-4 · 40/100 · High conf.

Also registered as 4 other CAS numbers

66321-94-6 · 116860-99-2 · 212625-86-0 · 57-10-3

Concern score

40/100Moderate concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

Palmitic acid in plain language

What it is: Also known as Cetyl acid · Hexadecanoic acid · Cetylic acid · N-hexadecanoic acid · Palmitate · PRIFAC-2960
Show all 38 names
PRISTERENE-4934 · 1-Hexyldecanoic Acid · 1-Pentadecanecarboxylic acid · Acide palmitique · Edenor c 16-98-100 · Emersol 140 · Emersol 143 · Hexadecylic acid · Hydrofol · Hydrofol Acid 1690 · Hystrene 8016 · Hystrene 9016 · Imex c 1498 · Industrene 4516 · Kortacid 1698 · Loxiol EP 278 · Palmitic acid 95% · pure Palmitic acid · Palmitinic acid · Pentadecanecarboxylic acid · puro acido palmitico · hexadecoic acid · hexaectylic acid · n-Hexadecoic acid · palmitic acid (90%). · Lucinactant component palmitic acid · Palmitic acid (constituent of borage seed oil) · Palmitic acid (constituent of evening primrose oil) · Palmitic acid (constituent of flax seed oil) · Palmitic acid (constituent of saw palmetto) · Palmitic acid (constituent of spirulina) · Surfaxin component palmitic acid
What it does: Used in cosmetics as an emollient and an emulsifier.
Emollient
Emulsifying
Flavouring agent
Emulsifier
Surfactant
Fragrance
Is it a concern?: Moderate concern: no hazard classifications on record. It is listed for cosmetic use in the EU.

Why it's flagged

EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 1780 composition records across product categories including Personal care, Laboratory supplies, Raw materials.

The score describes this ingredient's chemical identity — its hazard profile from published classifications and regulatory status — not the safety of any product it appears in.

Regulation

No restrictions found. Palmitic acid appears in these published regulatory listings.

Inactive ingredient in US drugs
In marketed US drugs

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Beauty
Cleaning
Industrial

USFDAinactive ingredient database2 entries — 2 administration routes
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: TABLET; Potency: 6 mgSource →
- Route: INTRAVENOUS; Dosage form: INJECTION, POWDER, FOR SUSPENSION; Potency: NASource →
EUCosIngActiveListed in CosIng inventory for cosmetic use.
- Listed in CosIng inventory for cosmetic use.Source →
GLOBALJECFANo safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agentJECFA evaluation lists ADI No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent. Functional class: flavouring agent.
- JECFA evaluation lists ADI No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent. Functional class: flavouring agent.Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 1780 composition records across product categories including Personal care, Laboratory supplies, Raw materials. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Surfactant (surface active agent), Softener and conditioner, Emulsifier.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 1780 composition records across product categories including Personal care, Laboratory supplies, Raw materials. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Surfactant (surface active agent), Softener and conditioner, Emulsifier.Source →
USFDAlisted in openFDA substanceopenFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as chemical.
- openFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as chemical.Source →
USFDAmarketed drug occurrenceFDA NDC lists this ingredient in 1 drug products and 1 package presentations.
- FDA NDC lists this ingredient in 1 drug products and 1 package presentations.Source →

Expert safety opinions

Independent scientific assessments cited by the records we hold, with the year and link where the record gives one.

SCCS
EU Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety
No SCCS opinion on file.
CIR
Cosmetic Ingredient Review (US expert panel)
No CIR safety assessment on file.
JECFA
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives
- JECFA evaluation lists ADI No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent. Functional class: flavouring agent.
  Year not recorded · GLOBAL JECFA listing · Read the source →

Evidence & sources

No graded research studies for Palmitic acid yet. This record is compiled from the published data sources below — registries and regulatory listings, not study findings.

9 data sources

Where this comes from

CosIng
regulatory · updated 2026-09-23
Open →
EPA Chemical and Products Database
exposure · updated november 7, 2012
Open →
EPA DSSTox Identifiers
chemistry · updated 2025-12-29
Open →
FDA Inactive Ingredient Database
regulatory · updated 2026-01-09
Open →
FDA National Drug Code Directory
regulatory · updated 2027-10-13
Open →
FDA GSRS UNII
registry · updated 2026-02-26
Open →
WHO JECFA Database
regulatory · updated 2026-10-04
Open →
openFDA Substance
registry · updated 2026-05-24
Open →
PubChem Live Enrichment
chemistry · updated 2026-05-17
Open →

Suitability

Context-specific fit derived from published classifications and the current ingredient evidence profile.

Food use

Food-use source coverage is present in the current record.

Good fit

The ingredient appears in food-oriented source coverage or allowed-use references, which makes food use easier to support than a context with no domain signal at all.

Fragrance avoidance

Not a strong fit for fragrance avoidance because it carries Fragrance.

Avoid

The ingredient itself is a fragrance-linked signal, so it is better treated as an avoid case when fragrance exposure is the main concern.

Where it has been recorded

How often EPA CPDat has listed Palmitic acid in a product composition. These are source records, not Greenveil catalog products.

Source records

1,780

Named organisations

Personal careLaboratory suppliesRaw materialsCleaning products and household careConstruction

Typical roles

EmollientEmulsifyingFlavouring agentEmulsifierSurfactantFragrance

See products using Palmitic acid →

Catalog

Found in these products

Their ingredient lists include Palmitic acid; each product's own rating depends on its whole formula, so it is shown on the product page, not here.

See all 802 →Find products without it →

Co-occurrence

Often appears with

Ingredients that frequently appear alongside Palmitic acid in the catalog.