The Beauty & Personal Care Brand Builder Series

Ingredient Deep Dive

Hydrogenated Castor Oil

The Beauty & Personal Care Brand Builder Series

Ingredient Deep Dive

Hydrogenated Castor Oil

The Structuring Castor Wax

Hydrogenated Castor Oil (castor wax) is castor oil that has been hardened into a high-melting wax, used as an emollient, thickener and structuring agent.

It gives balms, sticks and creams firm, stable structure and a smooth, protective, non-greasy finish, and helps hold oils and pigments in place.

Quick Insights

Ingredient Rating:

GOOD

Type of Ingredient:

Emollient and Texture Enhancer

Intended Function:

A hardened castor wax used to structure balms and sticks and to condition with a smooth, non-greasy finish.

Common Applications:

Used in moisturizers, creams and lotions and treatment formulas.

Target Audience:

Brands formulating balms, sticks, deodorants and color cosmetics needing firm, stable structure.

Also Known As:

Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Castor Wax

Private Label Formulas

🇺🇸 MADE IN USA | 🚀 READY TO LAUNCH

Shea Sleek Edge Control

Benefits of Hydrogenated Castor Oil

A hardened castor wax that structures balms and sticks and conditions with a smooth finish.

Structure & Body: Firms and stabilizes balms, sticks and anhydrous formulas.
Emollient: Softens and conditions with a smooth, protective feel.
Oil & Pigment Binding: Helps hold oils and pigments uniformly in place.
Stability: Raises melt point for heat-stable, robust products.
Plant-Derived: Made from renewable castor oil.

How It Works

Hydrogenating castor oil saturates its fatty acids, turning the liquid oil into a hard, high-melting wax. In a formula it raises melting point and viscosity to structure anhydrous sticks and balms, while its lipid nature still conditions the skin and helps bind oils and pigments into a stable matrix.

Formulating with Hydrogenated Castor Oil

Hydrogenated Castor Oil is melted into the oil phase at low to moderate levels as a structuring wax and emollient in balms, sticks, creams and color cosmetics. Observe good manufacturing and preservation practice.

Safety Analysis

Hydrogenated Castor Oil is well tolerated with a strong record of safe cosmetic use. As always, substantiate the finished product’s safety (e.g. patch / HRIPT testing) in line with MoCRA requirements.

References

https://incidecoder.com/ingredients/hydrogenated-castor-oil

https://cosmeticanalysis.com/cosmetic-ingredients/hydrogenated-castor-oil

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_oil

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