What is it?
An emollient ester made by reacting coconut alcohol, a coconut-derived mixture of fatty alcohols, with caprylic acid, an eight-carbon fatty acid. It softens skin and is used in skin care, eye-area and hair products. Its close relative coco-caprylate/caprate, made with a mix of caprylic and capric acids, is used far more widely.
Key information
- The CIR Expert Panel concluded in 2013 that coco-caprylate, as one of 237 alkyl esters, is safe as used when formulated to be non-irritating.
- The CIR had no test data on coco-caprylate itself and based its conclusion on data for structurally similar esters.
- In 2013 coco-caprylate was reported in 8 products, and coco-caprylate/caprate in 261 products at up to 62 percent.
More information
Like most alkyl esters, coco-caprylate is made by joining a fatty acid to a fatty alcohol. The CIR defines it as the mixture of esters obtained by reacting the fatty alcohols of coconut alcohol with caprylic acid. No ethylene oxide is involved, so it is not an ethoxylated ingredient.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel assessed coco-caprylate in 2013 within a family of 237 alkyl esters and concluded that they are safe in the present practices of use and concentration when formulated to be non-irritating. The report contains no safety tests on coco-caprylate itself. Instead, the panel extended data from related esters, citing their similar structures, properties and uses, and noted that coconut alcohol, one of its two building blocks, had already been found safe as used. Across the group, oral toxicity was low, genotoxicity tests on several esters were negative, and no allergic sensitization was seen in human studies. Some esters did irritate skin, which is why the panel added the proviso about irritation. It also noted that some alkyl esters can help other ingredients pass into the skin, a point for formulators.
In 2013 coco-caprylate was reported in only 8 products, with no concentration data. Coco-caprylate/caprate was reported in 261 products, at up to 35 percent in leave-on and 62 percent in rinse-off products. We found no rabbit-ear comedogenicity score for either ingredient.
On labels, coco-caprylate and coco-caprylate/caprate are esters made from coconut-derived alcohols, not coconut oil itself.
Sources: Cosmetic Ingredient Review: Amended safety assessment of alkyl esters as used in cosmetics (2013); Cosmetic Ingredient Review: Quick reference table of safety conclusions (September 2022)
