How does stearic acid work in skin cleansers?
Most people couldn’t tell you what oil pastels, hard candies and soap all have in common. Yet there is a single link: Each of them contains a crucial ingredient called stearic acid. Though you might not have noticed it before, once you start to look for it, you’ll find stearic acid in many of the products you use every day, including candles, shaving creams, cosmetics and medicine. But it’s in skin cleansers that stearic acid really takes a starring role. Stearic acid is one of many fatty acids that occur naturally in various plants and animal derivatives. It’s found in such products as animal tallow, cocoa butter and vegetable fats. When it’s used in cosmetic products, stearic acid primarily fulfills the role of a thickener or hardener. Stearic acid is the substance that helps your bar of soap retain its shape — just as it does in products such as candles, oil pastels and hard candies. But shape is only one of the properties that stearic acid adds to cleansers such as bar soaps and b
