Myristic acid, also known as tetradecanonic acid, is naturally occurring long-chain saturated fatty acid. It occurs naturally in palm kernel oil, nutmeg butter, coconut oil, bovine milk and some percentage in breast milk. Commercially it is obtained from coconut oil and other vegetable oils. It is available as a white crystalline solid/ hard, faintly yellow or white; glossy crystalline solid/white-yellow powder. 

Use & Benefits:

Myristic acid is mainly used as an emulsifier and surfactant. It is used in cosmetic products to give it stability and avoiding the oil and water-based components of the product from getting separated. It thickens the emulsion and improves its stability. It as a surfactant forms a base in cleansing products. It mixes with water and oily dirt particles which then can be rinsed off easily from the skin. As mentioned earlier, it is available as a different physical form and when mixed it may increase viscosity and can also be used to provide thickness to any formulation. At times, a mixture of ingredients has disagreeable color, so using an opacifying agent like myristic acid may be useful to produce uniform texture and color. It is used in formulations of products like soaps, cleansing products, creams, lotions, personal care, and hair care products.