beauty
cleaning
food
industrial

Cetyl alcohol

CAS 124-29-8 · 40/100 · High conf.

Also registered as 8 other CAS numbers

8014-51-5 · 8023-37-8 · 8032-16-4 · 8032-17-5 · 8032-89-1 · 55069-45-9 · 1173838-87-3 · 36653-82-4

Concern score

40/100Moderate concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

Cetyl alcohol in plain language

What it is: Also known as 1-HEXADECANOL · Cetanol · Cetyl alchol · Hexadecan-1-ol · N-1-HEXADECANOL · N-hexadecanol
Show all 31 names
Palmitic alcohol · 1-Cetanol · 1-Hydroxyhexadecane · 1-hexadecanol or cetyl alcohol · Atalco C · Cachalot C 51 · Cetaffine · Cetal · Cetalcos · Cetalol CA · Cetylic alcohol · Cetylol · Crodacol C · Crodacol-CAS · Ethal · Ethol · Hexadecyl alcohol · Lorol 24 · Loxanol K · Palmityl alcohol · cetyl alcohol (1-hexadecanol) · hexadecanol · n-Cetyl alcohol · n-Hexadecyl alcohol · alcohol cetylicus
What it does: Used in cosmetics as an emollient, an emulsifier and a cleansing agent.
Emollient
Emulsifying
Cleansing
Emulsion stabilising
Opacifying
Foam boosting
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 8457 composition records across product categories including Personal care, Laboratory supplies, Pesticides.

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. Cetyl alcohol 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
Pharma
Food
Industrial

USFDAinactive ingredient database20 entries — 6 administration routes
- Route: OPHTHALMIC; Dosage form: SUSPENSION; Potency: 0.5 %w/vSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: CAPSULE, DELAYED RELEASE; Maximum daily exposure: 59 mgSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: TABLET; Potency: NASource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: TABLET, COATED; Potency: 0.25 mgSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: TABLET, EXTENDED RELEASE; Maximum daily exposure: 132 mgSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: TABLET, FILM COATED; Potency: NASource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: TABLET, FILM COATED, EXTENDED RELEASE; Potency: 59 mgSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: TABLET, ORALLY DISINTEGRATING; Maximum daily exposure: 9 mgSource →
- Route: RECTAL; Dosage form: AEROSOL, FOAM; Maximum daily exposure: 17 mgSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: AEROSOL; Potency: 1.16 %w/wSource →
- Route: AURICULAR (OTIC); Dosage form: SUSPENSION; Potency: 1 %w/vSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: CREAM; Maximum daily exposure: 1280 mgSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: EMULSION; Potency: NASource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: LOTION; Maximum daily exposure: 1140 mgSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: OINTMENT; Potency: 7 %w/wSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: SOLUTION; Potency: NASource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: SUSPENSION; Potency: 2.01 %w/wSource →
- Route: VAGINAL; Dosage form: AEROSOL, FOAM; Potency: 0.75 %w/wSource →
- Route: VAGINAL; Dosage form: CREAM; Maximum daily exposure: 200 mgSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: AEROSOL, FOAM; Maximum daily exposure: 82 mgSource →
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 8457 composition records across product categories including Personal care, Laboratory supplies, Pesticides. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Thickening agent, Surfactant (surface active agent), Softener and conditioner.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 8457 composition records across product categories including Personal care, Laboratory supplies, Pesticides. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Thickening agent, Surfactant (surface active agent), Softener and conditioner.Source →
USFDAmarketed drug occurrenceFDA NDC lists this ingredient in 3 drug products and 3 package presentations.
- FDA NDC lists this ingredient in 3 drug products and 3 package presentations.Source →
USFDAlisted in openFDA substanceopenFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as chemical.
- openFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as chemical.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 Cetyl alcohol 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 september 5, 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 2028-01-16
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 Cetyl alcohol in a product composition. These are source records, not Greenveil catalog products.

Source records

8,457

Named organisations

Personal careLaboratory suppliesPesticidesRaw materialsMedical/dentalLandscape/yard

Typical roles

EmollientEmulsifyingCleansingEmulsion stabilisingOpacifyingFoam boosting

See products using Cetyl alcohol →

Catalog

Found in these products

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

See all 1000+ →Find products without it →

Co-occurrence

Often appears with

Ingredients that frequently appear alongside Cetyl alcohol in the catalog.