Ingredient deep-dive

Cetearyl Alcohol: Is It a Microplastic?

Not a microplasticCleared / not a microplastic

Not a microplastic and not a drying alcohol. This is one of the most commonly misunderstood ingredients on a label: it is a fatty alcohol, usually from coconut or palm, used to thicken and soften. It behaves like a wax, not like ethanol.

Where it appears

Conditioners
Creams and lotions
Emulsion stabiliser

Regulatory status (2026)

European Union

Permitted.

United States

Permitted.

Cleaner alternatives

No swap needed

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Cetearyl Alcohol, common questions

Is Cetearyl Alcohol a microplastic?

Borderline. Not a microplastic and not a drying alcohol. This is one of the most commonly misunderstood ingredients on a label: it is a fatty alcohol, usually from coconut or palm, used to thicken and soften. It behaves like a wax, not like ethanol.

Is Cetearyl Alcohol banned?

EU: Permitted. US: Permitted.

What can I use instead of Cetearyl Alcohol?

Cleaner alternatives include: No swap needed.

What products contain Cetearyl Alcohol?

Commonly found in: Conditioners; Creams and lotions; Emulsion stabiliser.

Related ingredients

Silica

Cleared / not a microplastic · Not a microplastic

Not a microplastic. Silica is silicon dioxide, a mineral, chemically the same family as sand and glass. It is one of the main materials brands use to REPLACE plastic microbeads for oil absorption and soft focus.

Mica

Cleared / not a microplastic · Not a microplastic

Not a microplastic. Mica is a naturally occurring mineral and the standard non-plastic alternative to polyester glitter. Its genuine issue is ethical rather than chemical: mica mining has documented child-labour problems, so look for responsibly sourced or synthetic fluorphlogopite.

Cellulose

Cleared / not a microplastic · Not a microplastic

Not a microplastic. Cellulose is a plant polymer — the structural material of wood and cotton. It is a polymer, but not a synthetic one, and it biodegrades. Widely used as a plastic-bead replacement.

Jojoba Esters (Jojoba Beads)

Cleared / not a microplastic · Not a microplastic

Not a microplastic, and the single best-known replacement for polyethylene microbeads. Naturally derived wax esters formed into soft spheres that exfoliate and then melt on the skin rather than washing into waterways.