Hydrogenated Palm Oil

Hydrogenated palm oil is a saturated, occlusive emollient/wax used to thicken and reduce transepidermal water loss, typically at low-to-moderate percentages in balms and creams. As a non-volatile lipid with minimal reactive chemistry, it has low inherent irritation in patch testing and is generally well tolerated even in sensitive skin. However, in eczema-prone patients it can occasionally contribute to follicular occlusion or product intolerance (often from the overall formula), so it is not scored as completely inert. Safety Notes: In commercial skincare, hydrogenated palm oil is often used at very low levels (~0.1–2%) as a structuring/waxy emollient in creams, lotions, and cleansers where it supports texture and stability without driving the sensory profile. At the high end, it can be a primary base fat in anhydrous sticks (lip balms, body balm sticks), heavy occlusive balms, and some soap/syndet-adjacent cleansing bars where the total hydrogenated vegetable fat phase can be very high; consumer OTC products using hydrogenated palm oil as a main structural lipid can reach ~50–80%. No specific FDA/EU maximum applies as it is generally permitted as a cosmetic ingredient, with practical limits set by hardness, crystallization behavior, and spreadability rather than regulation.