What does Myristyl alcohol do?

Used in cosmetics as an emollient, a skin-conditioning agent and an emulsion stabiliser.

Is Myristyl alcohol safe?

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

beauty
cleaning
food
industrial

Myristyl alcohol

CAS 27196-00-5 · 60/100 · High conf.

Also registered as 3 other CAS numbers

8032-14-2 · 150138-88-8 · 112-72-1

Concern score

60/100High concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

Myristyl alcohol in plain language

What it is: Also known as 1-Tetradecanol · Tetradecan-1-ol · 1-Hydroxytetradecane · 1-Tetradecyl alcohol · 1-tetradecanol (97%) · Alcohol(C14)
Show all 18 names
Alfol 14 · C14 alcohol · Dytol R-52 · Lanette K · Loxanol V · Myristic alcohol · Tetradecanol · Tetradecyl alcohol · n-Tetradecan-1-ol · n-Tetradecanol · n-Tetradecanol-1 · n-Tetradecyl alcohol
What it does: Used in cosmetics as an emollient, a skin-conditioning agent and an emulsion stabiliser.
Emollient
Skin conditioning
Emulsion stabilising
Foam boosting
Viscosity controlling
Emulsifier
Is it a concern?: High 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 494 composition records across product categories including Laboratory supplies, Personal care, Construction.

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. Myristyl alcohol appears in these published regulatory listings.

Inactive ingredient in US drugs

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Beauty
Cleaning
Industrial

USFDAinactive ingredient database4 entries — 2 administration routes
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: AEROSOL, FOAM; Potency: 2.5 %w/wSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: CREAM; Potency: 3 %w/wSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: SUSPENSION; Potency: 1.05 %w/wSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: TABLET, EXTENDED RELEASE; Potency: 2 mgSource →
EUCosIngActiveListed in CosIng inventory for cosmetic use.
- Listed in CosIng inventory for cosmetic use.Source →
EUEFSAEFSA opinionFlavouring Group Evaluation 2, Revision 1: Branched- and straight-chain aliphatic saturated primary alcohols and related esters of primary alcohols and straight-chain carboxylic acids and one straight-chain aldehyde from chemical groups 1 and 2 (Commission Regulation (EC) No 1565/2000 of 18 July 2000) Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in contact with Food (AFC) on a request from the Commission (EFSA AFC)
- Flavouring Group Evaluation 2, Revision 1: Branched- and straight-chain aliphatic saturated primary alcohols and related esters of primary alcohols and straight-chain carboxylic acids and one straight-chain aldehyde from chemical groups 1 and 2 (Commission Regulation (EC) No 1565/2000 of 18 July 2000) Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in contact with Food (AFC) on a request from the Commission (EFSA AFC)Source →
EUEFSAConclusion on Pesticides Peer ReviewConclusion on the peer review of the pesticide risk assessment of the active substance Straight Chain Lepidopteran Pheromones (EFSA)
- Conclusion on the peer review of the pesticide risk assessment of the active substance Straight Chain Lepidopteran Pheromones (EFSA)Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 494 composition records across product categories including Laboratory supplies, Personal care, Construction. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Opacifer, Softener and conditioner, Viscosity modifier.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 494 composition records across product categories including Laboratory supplies, Personal care, Construction. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Opacifer, Softener and conditioner, Viscosity modifier.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.
EFSA
European Food Safety Authority
- Flavouring Group Evaluation 2, Revision 1: Branched- and straight-chain aliphatic saturated primary alcohols and related esters of primary alcohols and straight-chain carboxylic acids and one straight-chain aldehyde from chemical groups 1 and 2 (Commission Regulation (EC) No 1565/2000 of 18 July 2000) Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in contact with Food (AFC) on a request from the Commission (EFSA AFC)
  2008 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
- Conclusion on the peer review of the pesticide risk assessment of the active substance Straight Chain Lepidopteran Pheromones (EFSA)
  2014 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →

Evidence & sources

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

8 data sources

Where this comes from

CosIng
regulatory · updated 2026-09-23
Open →
EFSA OpenFoodTox
regulatory · updated 2026-10-04
Open →
EPA Chemical and Products Database
exposure · updated september 30, 2011
Open →
EPA DSSTox Identifiers
chemistry · updated 2025-12-29
Open →
FDA Inactive Ingredient Database
regulatory · updated 2026-01-09
Open →
FDA GSRS UNII
registry · updated 2026-02-26
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 Myristyl alcohol in a product composition. These are source records, not Greenveil catalog products.

Source records

494

Named organisations

Laboratory suppliesPersonal careConstructionCleaning products and household careSpecialty occupational products

Typical roles

EmollientSkin conditioningEmulsion stabilisingFoam boostingViscosity controllingEmulsifier

See products using Myristyl alcohol →

Catalog

Found in these products

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

See all 194 →Find products without it →