Is caprylyl glycol made from coconut?

Caprylyl glycol is usually made synthetically. Plant-based versions made from palm kernel or coconut also exist, and the label does not say which one a product uses.

It is added in small amounts to creams, serums and make-up to help preserve them and to make them feel smoother. Because it is so common and so often synthetic, we name it on a product’s page but hold the question open instead of treating it as coconut.

More often than not, this one turns out to be coconut or palm kernel, so it holds a product’s verdict open on its own.

On a label: caprylyl glycol · caprilil glicol · 1,2-octanediol

Products we checked that contain it

19 of the 115 products in the registry. Each one read off the packet by a person, with the date.

What the companies said

Where a company has told us what plant their version comes from, it is on their page, quoted and dated.

• Color WowAnsweredAsked by email on 1 October 2026 which plant the glycerin and caprylyl glycol in Dream Coat Extra Strength are made from. Color Wow answered the same day: its glycerin comes from several suppliers, who may use different sources, and batches vary, so it cannot guarantee that the glycerin in any given bottle is not derived from coconut. The reply did not mention caprylyl glycol. The product stays at “unverifiable”.
• GarnierWaitingAsked on 1 October 2026, by email to Garnier’s Latin America consumer centre, which plant the glycerin, caprylyl glycol and caprylyl/capryl glucoside in the Express Aclara Noche Booster Sérum 10% Vitamina C are made from. The same question also went to L’Oréal’s Central America office. No reply yet.
• KativaWaitingAsked on 1 October 2026, by email to Starbrands Group, the company that owns Kativa, which plant the cetyl alcohol, PPG-3 benzyl ether myristate and caprylyl glycol in the One Instant Repair serum are made from. No reply yet.
• KenvueAnsweredKenvue is the company behind Neutrogena and Lubriderm. Asked on 1 October 2026, through its Central America contact form, which plant the glycerin and laureth-7 in Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel and the glycerin, cetyl alcohol and caprylyl glycol in Lubriderm Reparación Intensiva are made from. Kenvue answered the same day, in part. For Neutrogena Hydro Boost it said the laureth-7 is synthetic and the glycerin is of vegetable origin, without naming the plant. For Lubriderm it described the product and did not answer the question. Both products stay at “unverifiable”. We wrote back asking which plant the glycerin comes from, and for the Lubriderm answer.
• L’OréalWaitingL’Oréal owns L’Oréal Paris, L’Oréal Professionnel, Kérastase, Maybelline and Garnier. None of them publishes a working consumer contact form or email for Central America, so on 1 October 2026 one email went to the only address the group’s Central America office prints on its sites, asking it to pass the question to consumer care: which plant the glycerin, fatty alcohols, caprylyl glycol and other fatty-acid ingredients in these products are made from, and the full ingredient list of Magic Retouch, whose can carries none. No reply yet.
• RevlonWaitingAsked on 1 October 2026, through Revlon’s contact form, which plant the glycerin and caprylyl glycol in the Skin Awaken Concealer are made from, and for the product’s full ingredient list. No reply yet.
• TonyMolyReplied, didn’t answerAsked the brand’s US office by email on 1 October 2026 which plant the glycerin, caprylyl glycol and glyceryl caprylate in the Delight Tony Tint are made from. An automated assistant replied the same day that it could not confirm the source of any of the three. We wrote back asking for the question to be passed to a person, and the assistant said a team member will check with the manufacturer and follow up. The question is still open.
• DiorWaitingAsked on 30 September 2026 which plant the caprylyl glycol, steareth- and lauroyl lysine in two products are made from. No reply yet.
• Estée LauderWaitingAsked on 30 September 2026 which plant the glycerin, caprylyl glycol and ceteth- in two products are made from, and for the full ingredient list of the Revitalizing Supreme+ cream. No reply yet.
• La Roche-PosayReplied, didn’t answerAsked on 30 September 2026 which plant the glycerin, capryloyl glycine, caprylyl glycol and palmitate in two products are made from. The brand publishes no contact route for Panama, so the question went to its Argentine consumer desk, which replied the same day that it has no information on products sold in other countries. The question about the ingredients was not answered, so both products stay at “unverifiable”. We have asked which office can answer.
• LuLuLunWaitingAsked on 30 September 2026 which plant the Tri-C12-18 Acid Glyceryl in the L22 complex comes from. Written to both the Tokyo maker and the US distributor. No reply yet.

The whole family: Caprylyl / capryloyl / decyl (C8–C10 chains)

Whether this matters for you depends on which kind of coconut allergy you have →

Check a label for this and everything else →

All of coconut’s names

Reactions to refined derivatives vary from person to person. This list helps you ask better questions; your allergist decides what you avoid. Educational only, not medical advice. Always confirm with your allergist.