INCI ingredient

Potassium Cetyl Phosphate

A mild emulsifier that keeps sunscreens and light lotions stable.

What it triggers

Vegan originNot sureplant or animal source
FragranceNonot a perfume ingredient
ParabenNonot a preservative of this family
SulfateNonot a sulfate surfactant
SiliconeNonot a silicone
AlcoholNonot a drying alcohol

What it does

Potassium cetyl phosphate is the potassium salt of cetyl alcohol joined to phosphoric acid. It holds oil and water together, works well with UV filters and gives a light, non-greasy feel, so sunscreens and day creams use it often.

CosIng lists it as emulsifying and cleansing. Cetyl alcohol usually comes from palm or coconut oil but can be made from animal fat, and the label does not say which, so the vegan check says not sure unless the product is marked vegan. It affects none of the other five checks.

Functions: emulsifying, surfactant

Products with Potassium Cetyl Phosphate

in 258 products

Showing 24 of 258 products with this ingredient, most scanned first.

In the EU ingredient database

Functions listed by CosIng

surfactant - emulsifying
surfactant - cleansing

surfactant - emulsifying: Helping suspensions or dispersions of liquids in a second liquid by reducing the surface tension of the substances to be emulsified.
surfactant - cleansing: Wetting body surfaces, emulsifying or solubilizing oils, and suspending soil (generally, such ingredients contribute to the foaming and lathering properties of cleansing products).

CAS 84861-79-0; 19035-79-1 · EC 284-374-2; 242-768-1

EU regulation

Not on a restricted-substances annex. Listed as an allowed cosmetic ingredient.

Source: CosIng, European Commission. Informative, no legal value; the regulation text is the reference.

Classification from the INCI name; product lists from Open Beauty Facts.Report a mistake