Cosmetic emollient esters, fatty alcohols, a plant oil, and a silicone fluid for spreadability, slip, and after-feel — caprylic/capric triglyceride, squalane, isopropyl myristate, cetyl and cetearyl alcohol, argan oil, and dimethicone.
Emollients are the oils, esters, fatty alcohols, and silicone fluids that make up the lipid phase of a formulation; in INCI they are classed as skin-conditioning (emollient) agents. Their function is physical, not active: they govern how a product spreads, its slip, and its after-feel. This family spans light esters (caprylic/capric triglyceride, isopropyl myristate, squalane), fatty alcohols (cetyl, cetearyl), a plant oil (argan), and a silicone fluid (dimethicone).
Spreading speed is the property formulators tune, and it sets the central trade-off. Fast-spreading esters such as isopropyl myristate give a dry, light feel but little cushion, while heavier fatty alcohols and triglycerides build body and a richer after-feel at the cost of a weightier skin feel. Choose the ester end for serums and sprays, and the fatty-alcohol end for creams that also need viscosity from the same ingredient.
The fatty alcohols here do double duty: cetyl and cetearyl alcohol act as emollients and as co-emulsifiers and viscosity builders, which is why they show mixed roles in catalog data. Dimethicone is the silicone-fluid option for slip and a non-greasy after-feel. Specify cosmetic-grade material and confirm the grade against your formulation; argan oil is a single-source plant oil, so factor lot-to-lot variability into specifications.
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