Magnesium Stearate
Making Cosmetics
Magnesium Stearate, Additive
Magnesium stearate is a magnesium salt of stearic acid, a naturally occurring fatty acid. It is also called octadecanoic acid or magnesium salt, and presents itself in the form of a white powder.
It can be used as an additive to thicken some formulations when making cosmetics and it also improves adhesion as well as slip in the formulation of cosmetics. Magnesium stearate melts at about 120 °C, is not soluble in water, and is generally recognized as safe.