You are reworking a lotion that passes stability but drags on application, and the panel keeps flagging a white streak as it rubs in. Or you need to dissolve an oil-soluble active and a fragrance into an oil phase without pushing the viscosity up. Isopropyl myristate (IPM) is one of the first esters a formulator reaches for in both cases, which is why it shows up in everything from antiperspirants to leather finishing. It is a low-viscosity ester that spreads fast, feels light, and dissolves a lot.
The short version: Isopropyl myristate (IPM, INCI Isopropyl Myristate, CAS 110-27-0) is a low-viscosity emollient ester made by esterifying isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol) with myristic acid, a 14-carbon saturated fatty acid. In a formulation it gives a very light, non-greasy feel, high spreadability, and strong solvency for oil-soluble actives, fragrance, and pigments, and it lowers the viscosity of an oil phase. Formulators also use it to reduce the soaping (white-streak) effect in emulsions. It appears across skin care, antiperspirants and deodorants, color cosmetics, hair care, bath oils, topical pharmaceutical vehicles, and industrial uses such as textile and leather processing. Everything here describes physical and formulation behavior, not skin-health benefits; confirm the grade you need (for example USP/NF or Ph. Eur.) and validate performance on your own system.
What isopropyl myristate is
IPM is the ester of isopropyl alcohol and myristic acid (tetradecanoic acid). Its molecular formula is C17H34O2, molecular weight roughly 270.5 g/mol, identifiers CAS 110-27-0 and EC 203-751-4 (PubChem CID 8042; ECHA substance record). Because the acid is fully saturated, the ester carries no carbon-carbon double bonds, so it resists oxidation and hydrolysis and does not go rancid the way an unsaturated oil can. That stability is one reason it is a workhorse carrier rather than a specialty additive.
The typical physical profile that drives its formulation behavior:
| Property | Typical value |
|---|---|
| INCI name | Isopropyl Myristate |
| CAS / EC number | 110-27-0 / 203-751-4 |
| Molecular formula | C17H34O2 |
| Molecular weight | ~270.5 g/mol |
| Appearance | Clear, colorless to pale, low-viscosity liquid |
| Odor | Faint to nearly odorless |
| Density (20 °C) | ~0.85 g/cm³ |
| Refractive index (20 °C) | ~1.434–1.438 |
| Flash point | >100 °C |
| Boiling point | ~216–218 °C |
| Water solubility | Insoluble; miscible with most organic solvents and oils |
Values are typical reference figures; the Certificate of Analysis (CoA) for the lot you buy governs. The practical takeaway: spec your incoming IPM against acid value, color, and assay on the CoA, because those are what move feel and odor in a finished emulsion.
How IPM behaves in a formulation
The reason IPM is so widely specified is that several useful properties come in one low-cost, stable liquid:
- Very light, non-greasy feel and high spreadability. Low viscosity and low surface tension let it spread thin and fast with a dry after-feel, which is why it is used to cut the heavy drag of richer oils and butters.
- Solvency and coupling. It dissolves a wide range of oil-soluble materials, including fragrance, sunscreen actives, and oil-soluble vitamins and antioxidants, and helps disperse pigments. That makes it a carrier and a coupling solvent, not only an emollient.
- Oil-phase viscosity reduction. Blended into an oil phase it lowers viscosity, which improves pumpability, pourability, and lay-down.
- Soaping reduction. It is commonly added to lotions and body creams to reduce the soaping effect, the transient white, streaky film some emulsions show on rub-out.
In formulation literature IPM is also described as a penetration enhancer. Read that as a solvency and formulation descriptor: it characterizes how IPM increases the mobility and solubility of other materials within a formulation and at the application interface. It is not, on this page, a claim about drug delivery, skin absorption efficacy, or any health benefit. Any such performance must be established and substantiated by the formulator for the specific finished product and regulatory pathway.
One honest constraint sits alongside the strengths. The same low viscosity and solvency that thin an oil phase will over-thin it if dosed too high, flattening body and after-feel; and as a strong lipophilic solvent, IPM can interact with some plastics and pressure-sensitive adhesives, so confirm packaging and component compatibility before you lock a formula. Comedogenic and skin-feel suitability are application-specific and should be validated on your own finished product rather than assumed from the raw material.
Where isopropyl myristate is used
IPM crosses cosmetic, personal-care, pharmaceutical, and industrial work. The table below maps the common segments to the formulation function IPM is performing in each, for buyers and formulators scoping a switch or a new build.
| Application area | What IPM does (formulation function) |
|---|---|
| Skin care (lotions, creams, sunscreens) | Light emollient and spreadability aid; lowers oil-phase viscosity; reduces soaping; solvent for oil-soluble UV filters and actives |
| Antiperspirants and deodorants | Solvent and carrier for actives and fragrance; light, low-residue feel; helps reduce tackiness and white residue in sticks and roll-ons |
| Color cosmetics (foundation, makeup, lip) | Pigment wetting and dispersing; slip and even lay-down; light carrier in anhydrous and emulsion systems |
| Hair care (conditioners, styling, oils) | Slip and spreadability; fragrance and oil-soluble actives solvent; light, non-greasy after-feel |
| Bath and body oils | Low-viscosity carrier; light feel; solubilizes fragrance in anhydrous oil blends |
| Topical pharmaceutical vehicles | Nonaqueous vehicle and diluent for oils, oily solutions, ointments, and creams; cited as a diluent in pharmacopoeial sterility-test methods |
| Industrial, leather, and textile | Lubricant and antistatic in textile, plastics, and rubber processing; leather treatment; carrier and dispersant in nonaqueous systems; carrier for insect-repellent and pesticide actives |
For an anhydrous antiperspirant stick, start IPM screening in the low single-digit-percent range as a solvency and feel modifier and adjust against your wax structure, rather than dosing to a fixed level carried over from a different base.
Selecting IPM against other emollient esters
IPM is the light, fast, high-solvency end of the ester shelf. The neighbors below trade feel, weight, and stability differently, and most formulas end up blending two or three to tune after-feel.
| Ester (INCI) | Build | Feel and character | Typical formulation role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isopropyl myristate | C3 alcohol + C14 acid | Very light, fast-spreading, dry, low residue | Spreadability and solvency aid; oil-phase viscosity reduction |
| Isopropyl isostearate | C3 alcohol + branched C18 acid | Light but more cushioned than IPM; branched and oxidatively stable | Emollient with more substantivity; pigment wetting |
| Caprylic/capric triglyceride | C8/C10 triglyceride | Light, silky, a little more cushioned than IPM | Stable carrier oil; solubilizer for oil-soluble actives |
| Isononyl isononanoate | Branched C9 + branched C9 | Very light, dry, fast-spreading, low odor | Dry-touch light emollient; spreadability |
| Cetyl ethylhexanoate (cetyl octanoate) | C16 alcohol + C8 acid | Light to medium, smooth, low tack | Versatile spreading emollient; pigment dispersant |
Against caprylic/capric triglyceride (CCT), IPM reads lighter and faster, with a drier after-feel and a more pronounced spreading slip, and it is the stronger solvent for many oil-soluble actives and fragrances. CCT, a coconut- and palm-derived triglyceride, sits a touch more cushioned and is often chosen as a stable carrier oil. Both are saturated and oxidatively stable, so the choice between them is usually driven by feel and solvency rather than shelf life. The wider trade-offs are in our caprylic/capric triglyceride emollient guide and the cosmetic emollient ester selection guide.
Isopropyl palmitate (IPP) is the closest neighbor of all: the same isopropyl ester with a longer C16 acid in place of C14. IPP tends to feel slightly heavier and richer, while IPM spreads faster and finishes lighter, so formulators frequently swap or blend the two to dial in after-feel. Where you want an even drier, lower-odor touch, isononyl isononanoate or cetyl ethylhexanoate extend the range.
Buying isopropyl myristate in bulk
RawSource supplies isopropyl myristate and the related ester range for beauty and personal care and industrial manufacturing formulators, in drums, IBCs, and bulk, with CoA documentation and short lead times from domestic US stock. IPM is offered in cosmetic and pharmaceutical grades; confirm the grade and specification your application requires, for example USP/NF or Ph. Eur., rather than assuming a single grade fits every use. Tell us your application, the grade and any compendial requirement, your purity and acid-value targets, and your container preference, and request a sample to qualify feel, solvency, and packaging compatibility on your own system.
Frequently asked questions
What is isopropyl myristate (IPM)?
Isopropyl myristate is the ester of isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol) and myristic acid, a 14-carbon saturated fatty acid. It is a clear, low-viscosity, nearly odorless liquid (INCI Isopropyl Myristate, CAS 110-27-0, formula C17H34O2). Because the fatty acid is saturated, it resists oxidation and hydrolysis and does not readily go rancid.
What is isopropyl myristate used for?
It is used as a light emollient, a spreadability aid, and a solvent or carrier across skin care, antiperspirants and deodorants, color cosmetics, hair care, and bath oils, as a nonaqueous vehicle in topical pharmaceutical preparations, and in industrial applications such as textile and leather processing. In each case it is contributing physical behavior, light feel, fast spreading, low oil-phase viscosity, and solvency, rather than a skin-health benefit.
Is isopropyl myristate a solvent or an emollient?
Both. It is an emollient ester that imparts a light, non-greasy feel and high spreadability, and at the same time a solvent that dissolves oil-soluble actives, fragrance, and oil-soluble vitamins and helps disperse pigments. That dual role is why it appears in so many formula types.
What is the difference between isopropyl myristate and caprylic/capric triglyceride?
IPM is a single ester that feels lighter and drier, spreads faster, and is generally the stronger solvent. Caprylic/capric triglyceride (CCT) is a triglyceride that feels slightly more cushioned and is often chosen as a stable carrier oil. Both are saturated and oxidatively stable, so the decision is usually about feel and solvency, not shelf stability; many formulas use both.
What does “penetration enhancer” mean for isopropyl myristate?
In formulation literature it is a function term describing an ingredient that increases the solubility and mobility of other materials within a formulation and at the application interface. Treat it as a solvency and formulation descriptor. It is not a claim about drug delivery, skin absorption efficacy, or any health benefit; any such performance must be established and substantiated by the formulator for the specific finished product and regulatory pathway.
What grades of isopropyl myristate are available?
IPM is supplied in cosmetic and pharmaceutical grades, including USP/NF and Ph. Eur. compendial grades for applications that require them. Confirm the grade, specification, and any compendial or compatibility requirement for your specific application and jurisdiction; the CoA for the lot you receive governs the actual values.
Editorial note. This article is general technical guidance for cosmetic, personal-care, pharmaceutical, and industrial formulation professionals. The properties described are physical and formulation characteristics, not medical, health, cosmetic-efficacy, or safety claims, and nothing here states that isopropyl myristate treats, improves, or benefits skin or health. Feel, solvency, soaping behavior, compatibility, and regulatory suitability depend on your specific formula, grade, packaging, and process and must be validated on your own system; the Certificate of Analysis (CoA) governs the grade you buy, and grade and compendial status (for example USP/NF or Ph. Eur.) must be confirmed for your application and jurisdiction. Review the current Safety Data Sheet (SDS) and use appropriate PPE before handling. Products are sold for industrial and professional use only. RawSource makes no warranty, express or implied, and assumes no liability for use of this information.
