# Cetyl vs Cetearyl Alcohol in Formulation



## makemineirish (Sep 8, 2016)

I would like to make a foray in crafting my own lotion/cream and have done some research to this end.  For my first recipe, I wanted to attempt the body butter recipe provided on Swifty Crafty Monkey's blog.  To this end, I added some emulsifiers and preservative into my shopping cart with my last Bramble Berry order.  However, Bramble Berry carries cetaryl alcohol rather than cetyl.  I understand that they are not the same thing, but serve similar functions in a formula.

My information (https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/lotion/how-to-create-homemade-lotion-recipes/) is that cetyl may be used at 3-5% of the total recipe weight while cetaryl can be used at anywhere from 2-30%.  The recipe on Swifty Crafty Monkey (http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/2009/04/lotions-body-butter-creams.html) specifies 3% of cetyl alcohol.

In the interest of not forcing you to click over to Susan's blog, the recipe is:

*RECIPE FOR A BODY BUTTER*
WATER PHASE
60% water
2% sodium lactate or glycerin


OIL PHASE
10% oils (4% light, 4% medium, 2% heavy, or just 10% of the oil of your choice)
15% shea butter (or butter of choice)
6% emulsifier*
3% cetyl alcohol


COOL DOWN PHASE
0.5 to 1% preservative
1% fragrance or essential oil blend

*Is it possible and/or advisable to substitute cetearyl for cetyl alcohol?

If so, is there a recommended ratio at which to do so...meaning can I simply swap out one for the other at a 1:1 ratio in the recipe?*

As mentioned, I have not made multi-phase formulas with water and emulsifiers before.  I can certainly follow instructions but was unaware of how persnickety (or not) the recipes can be.  It was not my intention to deviate from the directions, but I think we ALL hate to pay additional shipping fees.  If I really need to stick with cetyl alcohol, I can certainly suck it up and place an order for it elsewhere
...which will force me to load up my cart to justify the shipping
...and send me another $100 or so down the supply wormhole that I am oh so familiar with :crazy:

My version of DIY is not so cost-effective


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## kchaystack (Sep 8, 2016)

Here is what Susan says about it.  I think your answer is yes.  Tho it might change the way your lotion feels.  It will probably thicken more as it is cetyl and stearyl alcohols.

http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/2010/10/asidecetearyl-alcohol.html

"So why use it instead of cetyl alcohol? I'm not completely sure, to be honest. It is supposed to be more emollient than cetyl alcohol, so that's a bonus, and it definitely feels more occlusive to me than cetyl alcohol alone."


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## snappyllama (Sep 8, 2016)

I haven't made the substitution myself yet, but I'm about to. My plan (after about 10 minutes of sleepy googling the other day) was to do a 1:1 substitution using cetyl alcohol instead of cetearyl. I'm in the same boat as you... there's a recipe I want to try, but I do not want to talk myself into buying anything else.


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