What are Esters, and Why are They Important?
At the beginning of my DIY skincare journey, I studied and learned about many different ingredients. One of those ingredients was esters. A skincare formulator can hear about esters in YouTube videos and other skincare formulation content. What are esters, and why are they important?
Esters are naturally derived ingredients and are created when a natural acid is combined with glycerin or alcohol. The reason esters are important in skincare products is because esters are not synthetic ingredients. Esters are used as emollients, surfactants, and thickening agents in skincare products.
What are Esters?
When trying to find what an ester is, most places will take you to the chemistry of how to make an ester. That formulation can be confusing if you do not have a chemistry degree.
In basic terms, what are esters?
The category that esters are in is oleochemical. They are naturally derived, not synthetic, and are considered a fatty acid. Chemists create an ester when they combine a natural acid with glycerin or alcohol.
Acme-Hardesty also explains how an ester is created. “An ester is a compound formed from the condensation reaction that occurs when a carboxylic acid and an alcohol combine. The exact combination of the type of alcohol and the type of carboxylic acid will determine which ester is produced.”
When reading the ingredients in your skincare products, you will notice an ester if it has an ‘-ate’ at the end of the ingredient name. Some examples of the ester names are isopropyl palmitate and glyceryl stearate.
Esters in skincare products make them less oily and go on the skin smoothly.
When you google esters, you will notice some articles not only for skincare but food as well. Esters are in skincare products, food, and pharmaceuticals.
Are Esters a Clean Skincare Ingredient?
You question everything in a product when learning about clean and natural ingredients. You wonder if the ingredients used are harmful or helpful for your skin. Esters are no different.
Esters are naturally derived ingredients in skincare products. Therefore esters are not a synthetic ingredient.
Some esters are plant based. Some examples of plant-derived esters are:
If you are concerned about an ester being natural or not, the company selling it will have information listed on the ingredient. Also, this information will let the consumer know if it is natural, vegan, or gluten-free.
Click Here to learn how to formulate natural skincare products at home.
Benefits of Using Esters in Skincare
What are some of the uses of esters in skincare products? People use esters in skincare products as an emollient, surfactant, and as thickening agent.
Emollient
A common term used in the world of skincare formulators is an emollient ester. Most esters are natural emollients for skincare products.
Emollients help keep the skin hydrated and prevent moisture loss. Emollient esters are in lotions, creams, and body butter.
Surfactant
When looking at the use of esters in skincare, we see them used as surfactants.
Surfactants help liquids that want to stay separate to mix and stay together. For example, some esters act as the bridge between these products that want to remain separated.
Thickening Agent
Some esters are thickening agents. An example of an ester that has a thickening effect is sucrose cocoate. Using an ester as a thickening agent can make creams and lotions less watery.
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Clean Skincare Products with Esters
Natural and clean skincare products that use esters are easy to find. Below are some clean skincare products.
1. Paula’s Choice: Hyaluronic Acid + Peptide Lip Booster
This lip booster contains many esters that help smooth away fine lines in lips and keep them looking youthful. One ester used in this skincare product is sucrose cocoate.
2. 100% Pure: Retinol PM Eye Cream
If you are looking for an eye cream that has anti-aging benefits then 100% Pure Retinol PM Eye Cream will be what you are looking for. It helps reduce the appearance of fine lines under your eyes. It also gives your under-eye skin a boost of hydration.
The ester used in this eye cream is tocopherol acetate. Tocopherol acetate is also vitamin E acetate.
3. Origins: Youth-Renewing Power Night Cream
This night cream helps your skin have a youthful look, and it gives the skin the hydration that it needs. One ester in Youth-Renewing Power Night Cream is isodecyl isononanoate. This ester acts as an emollient in skincare products.
Conclusion
One reason why most people use esters in skincare is that esters make products less oily and greasy. For example, when formulating body butter, using an ester will make this product less greasy than if you only used oils and butter.
Skincare formulators consider esters as a clean ingredient. Also, some esters are classified as natural and used in natural products.
If you want to see if your skincare products contain esters look to see if any ingredients end in ‘-ate’. Because an ingredient has this ending then it is most likely an ester.
Esters contain many benefits in skincare products that make them a necessary ingredient in skincare.
