Is glyceryl laurate (monolaurin) made from coconut?

Glyceryl laurate is glycerin joined to lauric acid. Lauric acid comes from coconut oil or palm kernel oil, the two oils that are rich in it, and the label does not say which. Sold as a supplement, the same substance is called monolaurin.

In cosmetics it softens the skin and helps hold oil and water together, and in deodorants it is used to slow down the bacteria that cause odour. Monolaurin supplements are often advertised as coconut-derived.

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: glyceryl laurate · glycerol monolaurate · monolaurin · laurato de glicerilo · monolaurina

Products we checked that contain it

3 of the 117 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.

• AvèneReplied, didn’t answerAsked on 30 September 2026 whether the glyceryl laurate in the Cleanance cleansing bar comes from palm kernel, as the rest of the bar does. Avène’s French consumer service replied the next day that it could not process the request, asked which country we are writing from, and said the subsidiary concerned would be in touch. The question itself has not been answered yet, so the bar stays at “unverifiable”.

The whole family: Laurate (sorbitan laurate, PEG laurate…)

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.