EmulsifierOlive-derivedIn every formula

Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate

Olea europaea (Olivem 1000) · INCI Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate

Oil and water do not mix. Every moisturiser ever made is an argument with that fact, and the emulsifier is what wins it. Ours is made from olive, and it is in every formula we make.

It is the reason a cream is a cream. It is also olive-derived, which is not the same as olive oil.

The olive-derived emulsifier system that holds every Biotaderm formula together.

What it is

Cetearyl Olivate and Sorbitan Olivate are two names for one material. They arrive together, they cannot be bought separately, and they work as a pair, so we have written about them as one thing. Both are made from the fatty acids of olive oil. Cetearyl olivate joins those fatty acids to cetearyl alcohol; sorbitan olivate joins them to sorbitan, a sugar-derived alcohol. The result is an emulsifier: a molecule with one end that likes oil and one end that likes water, which parks itself at the boundary and holds the two together.

There is a second, subtler property. As the cream cools, these molecules organise themselves into stacked, layered sheets, a structure called a liquid crystal. Those layers happen to resemble the way the lipids in the outer layer of your skin are arranged. That similarity is why formulators who care about mildness choose this system. The research suggests such emulsions tend to sit alongside the skin's own structure rather than stripping it, and they give a cushioned finish rather than a greasy one.

It is also free of PEGs, non-ionic, and approved under the organic cosmetic standards.

What it does in our formulas

It holds oil and water together, and as the cream cools it forms layers that resemble the lipids of the skin's surface.

It makes the cream a cream

Oil and water do not mix, and every moisturiser is a truce between them. This pair is what holds that truce: they sit at the boundary between the oil droplets and the water around them and keep the whole thing from separating. Without them you would have a bottle of oil floating on a puddle.

Well characterised

It builds a structure like the skin's own

As the emulsion cools it self-assembles into stacked, layered sheets, a liquid crystal, and those layers echo the way the lipids in your outer skin are arranged. The research suggests this is why these emulsions feel cushioned rather than greasy, and why they sit with the barrier rather than stripping it. Plausible, and shown for the emulsion system rather than for either ester alone.

Emerging evidence

What the research does not show

Three claims are made for olive emulsifiers, and each goes further than its source.

Marketed as It brings the antioxidant power of olive oil

These esters are made from the fatty acids of olive oil, and that process strips out the polyphenols the antioxidant claims rest on. It is olive-derived. It is not olive oil, and it does not inherit olive oil's pharmacology.

Marketed as Clinically proven to raise hydration by a quarter

That figure comes from a patent held by the company that makes the emulsifier, based on a trial of about ten people. A patent is not peer review, and its author has a commercial interest. In one clinical study, a test cream made with this emulsifier raised skin hydration and reduced water loss for at least ten hours after application, as did creams made with three other emulsifiers.

Marketed as It is proven not to damage the skin barrier

This claim is usually supported by a study of a different family of emulsifiers, the PEG-based polysorbates. The reasoning behind it is sound and the conclusion may well hold, but the study usually cited is not about this ingredient.

On the label and in the range

The two olivates appear in every one of our formulations, sitting high in the ingredient list because there is a fair amount of them: an emulsifier has structural work to do and cannot be sprinkled in. You will see them under their INCI names, Cetearyl Olivate and Sorbitan Olivate. They are one material, listed twice, because the law asks for the parts rather than the trade name. The exact percentage is published on each product page.

Is it suitable for me?

The independent expert panel that reviews cosmetic ingredients has assessed the sorbitan esters, this pair included, and found them safe as used, both in its original report and again on re-review. That is class-level evidence from a neutral body, which is the strongest kind available here. The material is non-ionic and mild, suits a vegan routine, and carries no restrictions under UK or EU cosmetic law. It is also approved as a raw material under the organic cosmetic standards.

A worry sometimes raised about sorbitan esters and allergy concerns a different member of the family, sorbitan sesquioleate, which is used in fragrances. Carrying that caution across to this ester would overstate the risk.

Vegan-friendlySensitive-skin suitableWell tolerated

As with anything new, if your skin reacts easily it is worth patch testing first.

The research behind this page

We review the published literature. We do not conduct the studies below.

Fiume MM, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, et al. Safety Assessment of Sorbitan Esters as Used in Cosmetics. Int J Toxicol 2019;38(2 Suppl):60S-80S. →
Lanigan RS, Yamarik TA. Final Report on the Safety Assessment of Sorbitan Esters, including Sorbitan Olivate. Int J Toxicol 2002;21(Suppl 1):93-112. →
Teeranachaideekul V, Soontaranon S, Sukhasem S, Chantasart D, Wongrakpanich A. Influence of the emulsifier on nanostructure and clinical application of liquid crystalline emulsions. Sci Rep 2023;13:4185. →
Amari S, Schubert C (assignee B&T S.r.l.). Use of transesterified olive oil in the cosmetic field. US Patent 8,796,217 B2, granted 2014. Sponsor literature; cited so the source of the hydration figure is visible. →

Found in every Biotaderm formulation Shop the range