Myristyl Myristate

What is Myristyl Myristate?

Myristyl myristate is a wax-like ester made by joining myristic acid, a fatty acid, with myristyl alcohol, a fatty alcohol. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review panel groups it with other alkyl esters, which it describes as reaction products of fatty acids and alcohols.

The starting materials can come from plant oils such as coconut or palm kernel, or be made synthetically. The label doesn’t say which. You’ll find it in creams, body lotions, hand creams, balms and some makeup, often in the middle of the ingredient list. It’s a cousin of isopropyl myristate, which is thinner and more oil-like.

What does Myristyl Myristate do?

• Softens and smooths skin. As an emollient, it fills in the rough spots between skin flakes so skin feels smoother.
• Adds body. As a waxy ester, it helps give creams and balms a richer, more cushioned feel.

It’s a texture ingredient. Its job is the moisturized feel, not a treatment.

Who is Myristyl Myristate for?

It suits dry and normal skin well, especially in body lotions and hand creams. The safety panel concluded alkyl esters are safe as used when formulated to be non-irritating, and an 8% formula caused no irritation or sensitization in human testing.

You may see it flagged as pore-clogging. That reputation comes from rabbit-ear tests, which the safety review also describes, and those tests don’t reliably predict breakouts in people. If your skin is prone to clogged pores, watch how it responds to the whole product rather than ruling out one ingredient from a chart.

What to pair Myristyl Myristate with, and what to avoid

There’s nothing to pair. It works with the other oils, butters and emulsifiers in the formula. For very dry skin, it often shows up alongside humectants like glycerin, and the dry-skin body lotion guide explains how those work together.