Fatty Acids, Alcohols, and Esters in Handmade Skincare

If you’re making your own skincare products, you’ll often see ingredients like fatty acids,

fatty alcohols, and esters in formulation guides or on supplier websites. These may sound

technical, but they are essential building blocks in creams, lotions, butters, and cleansers.

Understanding how they work will help you choose the right ones for your recipes.

Fatty Acids

Fatty acids come from both plant oils (like coconut or palm) and animal fats (though most

handmade skincare uses plant-based sources). In formulations, they act as:

• Emollients → soften and smooth skin

• Thickeners → give body to creams and lotions

• Cleansing agents → help remove dirt and oils

Common Fatty Acids for Formulators

• Stearic Acid → Adds thickness and stability to creams and lotions.

• Caprylic Acid → Lightweight thickener, often derived from coconut oil.

• Oleic Acid → A mild surfactant; helps with cleansing.

• Myristic Acid → Creates foam in cleansers and soaps, but can be drying.

• Palmitic Acid → Similar to myristic acid, works in cleansing but may dry skin.

• Lauric Acid → From coconut or laurel oil, often used in soaps for cleansing.

Formulator’s Tip: Some saturated fatty acids can be comedogenic (pore-clogging). Use in

moderation for acne-prone skin.

Fatty Alcohols

Don’t be fooled by the word 'alcohol'! Fatty alcohols are not drying like ethanol or rubbing

alcohol. Instead, they’re waxy, skin-safe ingredients made by treating fatty acids with

hydrogen.

In handmade formulations, they are used as:

• Emollients → give creams a soft, velvety feel

• Thickeners → improve the body of lotions

• Emulsifiers/stabilizers → help oil and water stay mixed

Common Fatty Alcohols to Work With

• Cetyl Alcohol → Gives a creamy, smooth texture; also improves stability.

• Lauryl Alcohol → From coconut/palm oils; used for spreading and cleansing.

• Stearyl Alcohol → Adds thickness and stability.

• Cetearyl Alcohol → A blend of cetyl + stearyl; one of the most popular stabilizers for

handmade creams.

• Oleyl Alcohol → Rich and heavy; great for dry-skin emulsions and super-fatted soaps.

Formulator’s Tip: Fatty alcohols are excellent if you want your lotions or butters to feel less

greasy and more luxurious.

Esters

Esters are lightweight, modified fatty ingredients that make handmade skincare feel smooth

and elegant. They mimic natural skin lipids, helping with moisture retention, barrier

protection, and texture.

They are created by combining an acid with an alcohol, resulting in a conditioning

ingredient that doesn’t feel heavy like pure oils.

How to Recognize Esters in Ingredients

Look for names ending in '-ate' on supplier lists.

Common Esters for DIY Skincare

• Isopropyl Myristate (IPM) → Reduces greasiness in oil-heavy formulations (e.g., body oils,

balms).

• Isopropyl Palmitate → Adds slip and softness to creams and lotions.

• Glyceryl Stearate → Popular emulsifier and skin-conditioning agent in lotions and creams.

Formulator’s Tip: Esters are perfect if you want to improve skin feel—making products

absorb faster and feel lighter.

Final Note for Makers

• Fatty Acids → add body, cleansing, or foam, but can sometimes be pore-clogging.

• Fatty Alcohols → stabilize and smooth out formulations, safe for skin.

• Esters → improve texture, reduce greasiness, and give a professional touch.

Mastering these ingredient families will help you create stable, effective, and skin-friendly

handmade skincare products.

Ingredient Family Flow: Fatty Acids → Fatty Alcohols → Esters

This flow helps your readers understand how these groups are chemically related and why

their functions in formulations differ.