DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE
Disteardimonium Hectorite is a material made by reacting hectorite with an ammonium compound carrying two long carbon chains. It is therefore not an oil, a botanical extract, or a skin-care active; it is a modified mineral material chosen for the way it behaves inside a cosmetic formula.
DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE: what it is
Disteardimonium Hectorite is a material made by reacting hectorite with an ammonium compound carrying two long carbon chains. It is therefore not an oil, a botanical extract, or a skin-care active; it is a modified mineral material chosen for the way it behaves inside a cosmetic formula.
Hectorite provides the layered base of the material, while the ammonium modifier is associated with its surface. Materials research on synthetic hectorite and related ammonium compounds describes hydrophobic domains on that surface, which helps explain why this ingredient is used mainly where a more structured texture is needed, particularly in formulas with an oily phase.
DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE: what it does in cosmetics
Disteardimonium Hectorite is used mainly to control viscosity. In everyday terms, it helps keep a product from becoming too runny and supports a more even consistency as it comes out of the package. That can be useful in thicker creams, foundations, concealers, and other formulas containing powders or pigments.
It can also work as a non-surfactant suspending agent, helping poorly soluble particles stay distributed instead of settling at the bottom. When it is used for light stability, the aim is to preserve the formula itself under light exposure, not to provide sun protection for the skin. Its contribution concerns product performance, not treatment of acne, dark spots, or wrinkles.
Products containing this ingredient
See which products include it and the name used in each composition.
