Is cetyl palmitate made from coconut?
Cetyl palmitate is a wax made by joining cetyl alcohol to palmitic acid. Both halves are usually made from palm oil, and either can come from coconut. The label does not say which.
It thickens creams and gives lip balms, sticks and ointments their firm, waxy feel. It was once taken from whales; today it is made from plant oils.
Usually palm, soy or rapeseed, and refined well past the point where coconut protein survives. It is named on the product page, but it doesn’t decide the verdict by itself — nearly every cosmetic contains it, and if it did, the whole registry would turn amber and the warning would stop meaning anything.
On a label: cetyl palmitate · palmitato de cetilo
Products we checked that contain it
1 of the 117 products in the registry. Each one read off the packet by a person, with the date.
Contains coconut (1)
The whole family: Palmitate / palmitic acid
Related names: Isopropyl palmitate · Ascorbyl palmitate · Retinyl palmitate · Ethylhexyl palmitate
Whether this matters for you depends on which kind of coconut allergy you have →
Check a label for this and everything else →
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.