Oleyl Cetyl Alcohol Ethoxylate

Oleyl Cetyl Alcohol Ethoxylate is a nonionic surfactant made by ethoxylating oleyl cetyl alcohol (C16–C18 unsaturated) with ethylene oxide. Changing the EO level moves the product from oil-soluble co-emulsifier toward water-dispersible wetting and detergency grades, so selection starts with the required HLB and the phase the product must live in.

Esteem lists oleyl cetyl alcohol ethoxylates in the 2–60 EO mole range on the alkoxylates hub. Full family context is on the Alkoxylates hub. For grade selection beyond this page, Esteem’s R&D and QA teams work from the application brief rather than a catalogue guess.

Applications

• Personal-care O/W emulsions balancing cetyl body with oleyl fluidity.
• Hair and skin cleansers needing mixed-chain emulsification.
• Industrial emulsions where a mixed C16–C18 unsaturated hydrophobe matches the oil.

How to select the grade

• The mixed hydrophobe is a compromise between cetyl structure and oleyl flow.
• Pick EO by required HLB; do not assume a cetyl-only grade is a drop-in.
• Name the target EO, application and oil phase on the enquiry for a closer first sample.

How to specify on an RFQ

Send the application, the property that must not fail (HLB/emulsion stability, wetting, foam, feel or solubility), target specification, and trial quantity. That lets Esteem match the grade to your test method instead of quoting the nearest catalogue name. Current TDS, SDS and lot COA are shared for qualified enquiries through the document library route.