PEG-150 Distearate

Irritancy: 0-0Comedogenicity: 2-2Emulsifying

Fungal-acne trigger

The details

PEG-150 Distearate is a hardworking ingredient that is usually found at the end of a lot of cleansers whose main job is to act as a micellar thickening agent for surfactant-based cleansers. It works by physically linking up surfactant micelles already in a formula to bump up viscosity and gives products a pourable-but-not-runny body. Safety-wise, it's been found safe in cosmetics with minimal skin irritation and no evidence of toxicity. This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe; it's a diester of stearic acid (C18) that falls into the C11-24 range that the Malassezia yeast feeds on. In vitro studies have also shown the Malassezia can metabolize PEG stearates by cleaving the ester bond to release the fatty acid.