BEHENYL ALCOHOL- ▸ Skin care: emollient, thickener and consistency factor for creams and lotions
- ▸ Hair care: conditioner body, substantivity and opacity
- ▸ Emulsion stabilizer / co-emulsifier
- ▸ Industrial: lubricant, ester and synthetic-fiber intermediate
A grade-specific Safety Data Sheet (SDS) — with the complete hazard classification, handling precautions, and transport information — is supplied with every shipment and available on request. Confirm all safety and regulatory details against the SDS for your specific grade.
Request SDS →Behenyl alcohol (docosanol, 1-docosanol, CAS 661-19-8) is a long-chain C22 saturated fatty alcohol used in formulation as an emollient, thickener, opacifier and co-emulsifier. Its 22-carbon backbone gives a higher melting point and richer, more cushiony body than shorter fatty alcohols, which is why formulators reach for it when they want structure and a substantive skin or hair feel. RawSource supplies it in bulk pellet form for cosmetic, personal-care and industrial buyers under an RFQ model.
Applications by sector
Skin care — emollient, thickener and consistency factor
In creams, lotions and balms, behenyl alcohol earns its place as a consistency factor. The long C22 chain raises melt point and builds viscosity, so a small addition firms up an emulsion and lends a cushiony, non-greasy slip. Because it is a higher-melting solid than cetyl or stearyl alcohol, it holds body across a wider temperature window — useful for products that must stay structured through warm climates or summer shipping. Formulators usually pair it with shorter fatty alcohols rather than using it alone; on its own it can read waxy, so the trade-off is richness versus a slightly heavier feel.
Hair care — body, substantivity and opacity
Conditioners and hair masks use behenyl alcohol for the same chain-length reason it works on skin: substantivity. The longer alkyl chain deposits and persists on the hair fiber, contributing to the rich, coating feel of a conditioning base and the opacity that signals “cream” to the eye. It thickens the conditioning matrix and supports the lamellar gel network that carries cationic conditioning agents, so it is doing structural work, not just adding wax.
Emulsion stabilizer / co-emulsifier
Behenyl alcohol is a workhorse co-emulsifier and consistency builder. It does not emulsify on its own — pair it with a primary emulsifier — but it stabilizes the oil-water interface and locks in viscosity so an emulsion resists thinning and separation through temperature swings. That viscosity-holding behavior is the practical reason a chemist specifies the C22 over a C16/C18 alcohol when a formula needs to survive a hot warehouse without slumping.
Industrial and lubricant intermediate
Beyond personal care, behenyl alcohol serves as a long-chain fatty-alcohol feedstock for lubricant additives, ester synthesis, surfactant intermediates and synthetic fibers, and as an evaporation-retardant film on water surfaces.
Behenyl alcohol vs. other fatty alcohols
Chain length is the lever. As you move from C16 to C22, melt point climbs and the feel shifts from light and slip-forward to rich and structuring. The figures below are typical reference ranges, not a guaranteed specification.
The practical read: cetyl and cetearyl are the everyday choices for light-to-balanced bodying, stearyl pushes opacity and firmness, and behenyl is the specialty pick when a formula needs the highest melt point, the most cushiony body, and lasting substantivity on skin or hair. It costs more and feels heavier, so use it where that structure is the point.
Forms and grade
RawSource supplies behenyl alcohol primarily as pellets (also available as flakes/prills depending on lot), which melt and meter cleanly into a heated oil phase and handle better than block or powder. State your target INCI/grade, particle form and any cosmetic-applicable documentation needs on the RFQ and we will match the lot to your application.
Handling
Behenyl alcohol is a waxy solid handled by melting into the oil phase. As with any fatty alcohol, follow the current Safety Data Sheet for storage, handling, melt temperatures and personal protective equipment — the SDS governs. Confirm regulatory status and suitability for your specific application and jurisdiction before use.
Bulk behenyl alcohol — request a quote
RawSource is a bulk supplier of behenyl alcohol (docosanol, C22-OH), CAS 661-19-8, sourcing pellet-form material for cosmetic, personal-care and industrial formulators and purchasing teams. Pricing is quote-based and depends on volume, grade, form and delivery terms. Submit a bulk RFQ with your target quantity and specification for current pricing and lead time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is behenyl alcohol used for?
Behenyl alcohol (docosanol, CAS 661-19-8) is a C22 saturated fatty alcohol used as an emollient, thickener, opacifier and co-emulsifier in creams, lotions and hair conditioners, and as a long-chain fatty-alcohol intermediate in lubricants, esters and synthetic fibers. RawSource supplies it in bulk pellet form.
Is behenyl alcohol good for skin and hair?
In formulation, behenyl alcohol functions as an emollient and consistency factor that adds cushiony body and slip to skin-care emulsions, and as a substantive conditioning and thickening agent in hair care that contributes to a rich feel and opacity. It is a fatty alcohol, not a drying solvent-type alcohol. This describes its established formulation role and is not a medical, health or efficacy claim.
Is behenyl alcohol the same as cetyl alcohol?
No. Both are saturated fatty alcohols, but behenyl alcohol is a C22 chain while cetyl alcohol is C16. The longer C22 chain gives behenyl alcohol a higher melt point (~65–72°C vs. ~49°C for cetyl), richer cushiony thickening, and stronger substantivity, which is why formulators choose it when they need more structure and a heavier feel.
What is another name for behenyl alcohol?
Behenyl alcohol is also called docosanol, 1-docosanol or docosan-1-ol, and is described as the C22 alcohol or C22-OH, reflecting its 22-carbon saturated structure. CAS is 661-19-8 and the molecular formula is C22H46O. (Docosanol also has a separate over-the-counter cold-sore monograph use as a distinct product; this page concerns the cosmetic and industrial raw material.) RawSource provides identity documentation with each order.
What is the CAS number and formula for behenyl alcohol?
Behenyl alcohol carries CAS 661-19-8 and molecular formula C22H46O (molecular weight ~326.6 g/mol). It is a C22 saturated fatty alcohol supplied in pellet form. RawSource provides identity and specification documentation with each bulk shipment.
How is bulk behenyl alcohol packaged and priced?
RawSource supplies behenyl alcohol pellets in bulk for cosmetic, lubricant and textile applications, typically in bags or sacks. Pricing is quote-based and depends on volume, grade, form and delivery terms. Submit a bulk RFQ with your target quantity and specification for current pricing and lead time.