What is isohexadecane and what is it used for?
Isohexadecane (CAS 4390-04-9) is a branched-chain saturated hydrocarbon supplied as a light emollient oil-phase component. In personal care it is used as a dry-feel emollient, a pigment-wetting and dispersion aid for color cosmetics, a cleansing solvent for long-wear makeup and sunscreen, and a spreading aid in sun care.
- ▸ Light emollient: dry, non-greasy after-feel in skin care emulsions
- ▸ Pigment carrier: wetting and dispersion for color cosmetics and long-wear
- ▸ Cleansing solvent: dissolves long-wear makeup and sunscreen in cleansing oils
- ▸ Sun care spreading aid: even film and water-resistance support
- ▸ Oil-phase carrier: vehicle for oil-soluble actives, fragrance, and pigment pastes
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 →Isohexadecane is a branched, fully saturated C16 hydrocarbon emollient (INCI: isohexadecane; commonly the heptamethylnonane structure, CAS 4390-04-9, also registered under the broader isohexadecane CAS 60908-77-2). Because every carbon sits in a branched, saturated chain with no double bonds, it behaves very differently from a plant oil or an ester. It is light and dry on skin, leaves almost no greasy residue, and resists oxidation, which is the same chemistry that keeps it nearly odorless and color-stable over long shelf lives. Formulators reach for it when they want slip and a clean after-feel without the heaviness, tackiness, or rancidity risk of unsaturated oils.
Why branched and saturated matters
The performance comes straight from the structure. Branching keeps the molecule from packing tightly, so it spreads thin and feels light rather than dense like a straight-chain wax or a triglyceride. Full saturation (no C=C bonds) means little for oxygen to attack, so isohexadecane does not go rancid, stays low in odor, and holds color through heat and time. That oxidative stability is the practical edge over many natural emollient oils in formulas that must survive long distribution cycles or warm climates. The trade-off is honest: as a non-polar hydrocarbon it carries lipophilic actives and pigments well but does little to solubilize polar or water-soluble materials, so formulators pair it with a co-solvent or ester when polarity is needed.
Applications by sector
Skin care
In lotions, creams, and serums isohexadecane works as a light emollient and spreading aid. It thins the oil phase, improves glide on application, and dries down to a soft, non-greasy finish — useful in “fast-absorbing” or “non-oily” positioned products where a heavier emollient would feel occlusive. It is frequently used to take the tack out of formulas built on richer butters and esters.
Color cosmetics
This is one of its strongest roles. As a non-polar carrier it wets and disperses pigments evenly, which supports clean color payoff and reduces streaking in foundations, concealers, eyeshadows, and lip products. Its low volatility relative to isododecane and its good spreadability help long-wear and transfer-resistant systems lay down smoothly and blend without dragging. In stick and balm formats it contributes effortless glide.
Sun care
In sunscreens isohexadecane improves the spreadability of the oil phase, helping organic UV filters and dispersed inorganic filters lay down as an even, continuous film that supports uniform coverage. Its hydrophobic character supports water-resistant systems, and it cuts the heavy, greasy feel that high-SPF oil loads can leave. Any water-resistance or SPF performance is established by the finished formula and its own testing, not by a single raw material.
Cleansing oils, makeup removers, and micellar systems
As a light hydrocarbon solvent, isohexadecane dissolves long-wear makeup, sunscreen films, and sebum, making it a workhorse in cleansing oils, balms, biphasic eye-makeup removers, and the oil phase of some micellar systems. It lifts oil-soluble soil and rinses or wipes clean without the dragging feel of heavier oils.
Carrier and solvent
Across categories it serves as a diluent and vehicle for oil-soluble actives, fragrances, and pigment pastes, and as a viscosity-thinning component in the oil phase. Its low odor adds little of its own scent, which helps when a clean or precisely engineered fragrance profile matters.
Forms and grade
RawSource sources cosmetic-grade isohexadecane suitable for personal-care manufacturing, with identity and INCI conformity confirmed lot by lot. Exact purity, typical-value specifications, and INCI documentation are provided on the Certificate of Analysis (CoA) for the lot supplied; we do not publish fixed specification numbers here because they are lot- and source-dependent. If your formulation requires a specific isomer profile, volatility band, or documentation set, specify it on your inquiry and we will source to match.
Handling
Isohexadecane is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. Storage, handling, and personal protection are governed by the current Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for the lot supplied, which we provide with each shipment. Confirm classification, compatibility, and suitability for your process and jurisdiction before use.
Bulk sourcing from RawSource
RawSource sources isohexadecane in bulk for personal-care manufacturers and contract formulators, in drums, IBC totes, and tanker quantities depending on volume and ship-to. We operate on an RFQ basis: send your target quantity, packaging, and destination, and we return a current quote with a CoA and SDS for the lot. Request a bulk quote.
Reviewed and updated July 2026 by the RawSource technical team.
Isohexadecane (CAS 4390-04-9) is a branched, fully saturated C16 hydrocarbon, 2,2,4,4,6,8,8-heptamethylnonane, used in cosmetics as a light dry-feel emollient, solvent, and pigment carrier.
Isohexadecane: key figures for buyers
596 cosmetic formulations contained isohexadecane in FDA Voluntary Cosmetic Registration Program data for 2010, of which 531 were leave-on products (CIR isoparaffins safety assessment, Table 5).
0.2% to 42% was the reported isohexadecane use-concentration range across product types in the 2010 Personal Care Products Council industry survey (CIR safety assessment, Table 5).
Flash point 95.6 °C in the published literature, above the 60 °C (140 °F) threshold that defines a DOT Class 3 flammable liquid under 49 CFR 173.120(a) (2023 ed.) (CIR safety assessment, Table 2A).
Boiling point 240 °C, specific gravity 0.772 g/cm³, and vapor pressure 0.06 Torr are the literature constants reported for isohexadecane (CIR safety assessment, Table 2A).
“Safe in the present practices of use and concentration” was the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel conclusion for isoparaffins, including isohexadecane (Int J Toxicol, 2012).
Reference values from the published safety literature; specifications for a supplied lot are stated on its CoA and SDS.
Regulatory & registration requirements
- TSCA (US):
- REACH (EU):
- EC number: 224-506-8
Source: EPA TSCA Inventory (July 2025 release) · ECHA CHEM — retrieved 2026-07-12
Frequently Asked Questions
Is isohexadecane a silicone?
No. Isohexadecane is a branched, saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon — purely carbon and hydrogen — not a silicone. Silicones are siloxane polymers built on a silicon-oxygen backbone. Isohexadecane is sometimes chosen as a hydrocarbon alternative to volatile silicones where a light, dry skin-feel is wanted without a siloxane.
What is isohexadecane used for?
It is a light emollient and spreading agent in skin care, a pigment-wetting carrier in color cosmetics, a spreadability aid in sun care, and a solvent in cleansing oils and makeup removers. Across categories it also serves as an oil-phase carrier and diluent for oil-soluble actives, fragrances, and pigments. Formulators value its light, dry after-feel and oxidative stability.
Why choose a branched hydrocarbon over a plant oil or ester?
The branched, fully saturated structure spreads thin for a light, non-greasy feel and resists oxidation, so it stays low in odor and color-stable over long shelf lives rather than going rancid like many unsaturated natural oils. The trade-off is polarity: as a non-polar hydrocarbon it carries lipophilic materials well but does little for water-soluble or highly polar ingredients, which formulators address with a co-solvent or ester.
Can isohexadecane be used in hair products?
Yes. As a branched hydrocarbon emollient and spreading agent it is used in the oil phase of hair-care formulations for slip and a light conditioning feel without weighing hair down. Validate loading and compatibility in your own system.
How is isohexadecane supplied in bulk, and how do I get pricing?
RawSource sources cosmetic-grade isohexadecane in bulk industrial packaging (drums, IBC totes, and tankers) on an RFQ basis. Pricing is volume-, packaging-, and destination-dependent. Send your target quantity and ship-to for a current quote; a CoA and SDS are provided with each lot.
Is isohexadecane safe for skin?
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel assessed isohexadecane with the other isoparaffins and concluded the group is safe in the present practices of use and concentration. Reported cosmetic use ran 0.2% to 42%. In the supporting data, isohexadecane (Permethyl 101A) was non-irritating in rabbit tests, and 10% in petrolatum produced no reactions in human patch subjects (CIR report). Confirm each lot against its SDS and your own product safety assessment.
Is isohexadecane comedogenic?
No in the primary test record. The CIR safety assessment reports that isododecane and isohexadecane were classified as non-comedogenic in rabbit ear assays; the isohexadecane material tested was the trade product Permethyl 101A. Rabbit assays are the historical screening standard rather than claim substantiation, so a brand making a non-comedogenic label claim should still test the finished formulation.
Isododecane vs isohexadecane: what’s the difference?
Carbon chain length and volatility. Isododecane is a C12 isoparaffin, 168.32 g/mol, boiling at 177.7 to 178.0 °C with a flash point near 56.7 °C, so it evaporates quickly in transfer-resistant color cosmetics. Isohexadecane is C16, 226.44 g/mol, boiling near 240 °C with a 95.6 °C flash point, so it stays on skin as an emollient and clears the DOT 60 °C flammable-liquid line that lighter isododecane lots typically do not (CIR, Table 2A).
What is the flash point of isohexadecane?
Published data list 95.6 °C, alongside a 240 °C boiling point and 0.772 g/cm³ specific gravity (CIR safety assessment, Table 2A). That value sits above the 60 °C (140 °F) limit defining a DOT Class 3 flammable liquid under 49 CFR 173.120(a), which generally simplifies storage and freight compared with lighter isoparaffins. Classification of any specific lot follows the SDS supplied with the shipment.
What is the REACH and TSCA regulatory status of Isohexadecane (Cosmetic Grade)?
Isohexadecane (Cosmetic Grade) (CAS 4390-04-9) is subject to U.S. TSCA Inventory requirements; supplying it into the EU requires valid REACH registration ((EC) No 1907/2006). RawSource cannot verify a third-party supplier's registrations — buyers should require documented TSCA and REACH compliance for their jurisdiction and volume (EC 224-506-8).