Quick answer
Often used to coat mineral sunscreen active ingredients to help them disperse evenly; Other roles in skin care include emulsion stabilizer, film-former, and texture-enhancing thickener; Helps makeup pigments distribute more cohesively; Soft, pliable wax that is light tan to brown in color, derived from castor oil
Polyhydroxystearic Acid
Updated
12-Hydroxyoctadecanoic acid, homopolymer
Purpose
Often used to coat mineral sunscreen active ingredients in order to help them disperse evenly and remain inert. Other roles include emulsion stabilizer, film-former, and texture-enhancing thickener.
Rating
GOOD
Category
Suspending/Dispersing Agent, Polymer
INCI Purpose
SURFACTANT - EMULSIFYING
Alternative Names
At a Glance
Often used to coat mineral sunscreen active ingredients to help them disperse evenly
Other roles in skin care include emulsion stabilizer, film-former, and texture-enhancing thickener
Helps makeup pigments distribute more cohesively
Soft, pliable wax that is light tan to brown in color, derived from castor oil
Article
Polyhydroxystearic acid plays various roles in cosmetic formulas, including functioning as a suspending agent, emulsion stabilizer, film-former, and texture-enhancing thickener. This plant-derived or synthetic ingredient is often used to coat mineral sunscreen actives to help them disperse evenly. Suppliers of polyhydroxystearic acid also claim that it helps increase UV absorption and can reduce the white cast that titanium dioxide and zinc oxide leave behind.
In makeup, polyhydroxystearic acid helps pigments distribute more cohesively. In lotions and creams, it adds emolliency. As a raw material, polyhydroxystearic acid is described as a soft, pliable wax that is light tan to brown in color, derived from castor oil.
References