It seems like a lot of people are confused about this one. ..Understood… people are afraid of anything that has alcohol in it because they think that all alcohols will dry you out. Well let me clarify this ingredient for you once and for all!
- isopropyl alcohol
First of all, not all alcohols are drying, in fact there are seven alcohols that are used in products as a thickening agent that gives products a silky smooth finish. These alcohols are called dense alcohols ( you might remember this from basic chemistry class right?) and cetaryl alcohol is one of them.
What exactly is Cetaryl Alcohol? Well, it is a mixture of Cetyl and Setaryl alcohol and guess what? Setaryl Alcohol is a lubricant! Derived from either animal fat or unsaturated vegetable oil ( the one i use in my products.. boo animal fat!) cetyl alcohol is derived from palm oil and of coconut oil… so there you have it folks..
The main role of cetaryl alcohol is to act as a carrier for ingredients and to help beneficial ingredients penetrate into the skin that cant do it alone. The bonus of cetaryl alcohol is that is can also be used to mix oil and water in products in so they don’t separate over time.
The cosmetic ingredient review is an independent panel of experts in dermatology, toxicology, pharmacology and veterinary medicine in the US. They review and assess the safety of ingredients used in cosmetics in an open unbiased manner and publishes their findings. According to this org. Cetaryl alcohol is safe to use in cosmetics. And I agree with them.
So don’t be afraid folks, I mean, you can’t eat the stuff but if it is listed in your bottle of lotion or conditioner then you can use it worry free.
Bold.Fearless.beauty
~Audacious Cosmetics
Bold. Fearless. Beauty 
Hey, that is cool info. Thanks for sharing!