Sodium palmitate (inci)

"Sodium" means the element sodium, "palmitate" salts/esters of palmitic acid (hexadecanoic acid).

Sodium palmitate, the sodium salt of palmitic acid, is used in cosmetic formulations. The compound acts as an emulsifier (a surface-active substance used as an excipient in cosmetic products to combine two immiscible liquids - e.g. oil and water - into one emulsion), surfactant (a washing-active substance which improves the even distribution of the products during application) and viscosity regulator (increases or decreases the viscosity of cosmetic products).