What it is
Octyl Palmitate, also called Ethylhexyl Palmitate, is a clear liquid derived from palm oil.
What it does
Octyl Palmitate is an emollient that gives skin a soft and smooth appearance. It has a dry-sleep feel that is similar to silicone’s texture. For this reason, it is often used as a substitute for silicones in cosmetic products.
In addition, Octyl Palmitate is used in beauty products as thickener and solvent.
Side effects
Octyl Palmitate is comedogenic and can cause breakouts. In addition, it can also cause irritations.
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Thanks for the info, I have to take a look at the face lotions that I use to see if it’s in there.
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I have been a Massage Therapist for over 22 years. It seems as though I have developed an allergy to Octyl Palmitate. I need help finding a Massage cream without this ingredient in it. Any suggestions? I have considered just Grapeseed Oil or Olive Oil, but am afraid if I use just those products that I will develop a sensitivity to those as well. I love the feel of a cream rather than an oil.
This is very discouraging and I would welcome any feedback.
Thank You.
Tia, I’m sorry to hear you are allergic to this ingredient. Unfortunately I’m not sure what cream to suggest. I’ve never used creams for massages, I usually stick to jojoba oil or essential oils. Hopefully someone else will have other suggestions for you.
I’ve been using a cream but it has isopropyl myristate (also an derivative of coconut oil like Octyl Palmitate) – you could try it. It is also “comedogenic” or can cause drying and irritations but by switching back and forth you may minimize the irritation. Coconut oil itself is considered comedogenic so I guess all it’s derivatives are too.
Shea butter based creams rate very low on the irritation/comedogenic scale so I suggest trying one of these. They have pretty good glide – not as nice as the octyl palmitate… but that’s why they make the chemicals, I guess. They work for their purpose, but holistically they suck as they have bad side effects.
Best wishes!
Erica, thanks for your comment. I love Shea Butter creams, they are very moisturizing and the risk of a bad reaction is really low. As for Isopropyl Myristate, that does its job well but I can’t use creams with it because it breaks me out really bad. But of course, everyone has different skin so others may not experience the same side effects.
I would like to know more as I am a fellow LMT in practice for 7 years with possibly the same issue. I have been using massage gel for the past two years with octyl palmitate and am wondering have you undergone allergy testing? How do you know you are allergic to this specific product?
Samantha, to find out if you have an allergy to it, you need to do a patch test and see how your skin reacts to the product. If it gets red and itchy, you are allergic to it and should stop using the product straight away.
I am also a massage therapist and have developed chronic itchy eczema on hands and forearms due to numerous products that I’ve used over the years. I use jojoba oil from Boston jojoba Co. organic, its pricey but worth it. I’ve never been able to use the creams for very long eventually i break out. The worse one was for me was the all purpose from Biotone. Good Luck. Homeopathy works really well for eczema. Find someone who is trained in classical homeopathy, don’t attempt to treat yourself, its complicated and it takes a skilled homeopathic person to know what remedy to use.
Paula, I’m sorry you developed eczema because of the products you used, how awful. I’m glad Jojoba oil works for you and thanks for sharing your experience and tips.
I’ve been using a lip gloss that I got from Ulta and it’s been about a week that I’ve had it, but today my lips started to burn and were slightly swollen. I thought I’d look up what’s in the gloss and found this, but they said somewhere else that it would have to have at least 40-50% of octyl palmitate to cause irritation, but I’m unsure of what the real cause might be.
Ashley, I’m sorry to hear that. Octyl Palmitate can cause irritations to some people, but yes, usually in high concentrations. But without seeing the entire ingredient list I can’t say for certain that’s the culprit. It may also be a combination of ingredients that’s causing a bad reaction for you.