ARACHIDIC ACID
Arachidic acid, also called eicosanoic acid, is a long-chain saturated fatty acid. It is a defined substance rather than peanut oil itself: the same acid can be a component of different raw materials or be made by other routes for industrial and cosmetic use.
ARACHIDIC ACID: what it is
Arachidic acid, also called eicosanoic acid, is a long-chain saturated fatty acid. It is a defined substance rather than peanut oil itself: the same acid can be a component of different raw materials or be made by other routes for industrial and cosmetic use.
It occurs naturally in small amounts in peanut and corn oils. That origin helps explain its common name, but it does not identify the raw material in a particular product; on an ingredient list, the name refers to the fatty acid itself, not to the whole oil.
ARACHIDIC ACID: what it does in cosmetics
In rinse-off products, arachidic acid can help water mix with oily soil during cleansing. As a surfactant and emulsifier, it contributes to keeping water and oily components more evenly distributed, which supports a uniform formula instead of separated phases.
It can also make a preparation less transparent, creating the opaque appearance wanted in some formulas. These uses describe how the ingredient behaves within a product; they do not mean that it treats acne, dark spots, wrinkles, or any skin disease.
Products containing this ingredient
See which products include it and the name used in each composition.
