Build my profileBuild my profile

Cosmetic ingredient dictionary

Zinc Stearate in cosmetics: what it is and what it does

Zinc Stearate is a cosmetic ingredient that gives the product or the skin colour. The EU lists it as an allowed colorant. Open Beauty Facts finds it in 67 products, most often makeup.

By Bravoora teamUpdated Sources checked 3 sourcesHow we check

What does Zinc Stearate do in a product?

In a cosmetic product, Zinc Stearate gives the product or the skin colour, makes the product thicker or thinner and keeps a powder free-flowing. The EU’s CosIng database lists these jobs for it: cosmetic colorant, viscosity controlling and anticaking.

cosmetic colorantviscosity controllinganticaking

What other names and numbers does Zinc Stearate have?

CAS number
557-05-1
EC number
209-151-9
CosIng reference
38977

Is Zinc Stearate restricted in the EU?

It is allowed, on a list with limits. The EU lists it as an allowed colorant, with its own conditions of use (Annex IV of Regulation 1223/2009, entry 150).

The annex entry sets the exact limits, the products it may be used in and any warning the label must carry.

Which products contain Zinc Stearate?

Open Beauty Facts finds Zinc Stearate in the ingredient lists of 67 of the 22,021 products it has a list for, most often makeup, face makeup and eye makeup.

  • Makeup12
  • Face makeup7
  • Eye makeup4
  • Body care3

Products with it, by country of sale: France 14 · Germany 12 · Australia 10 · United States 6.

Counted on 13 October 2026 from Open Beauty Facts, which volunteers fill from real packs: it shows where Zinc Stearate turns up, not how much of the market it is.

On these listsColorants

Bravoora reads this ingredient for everyone you shop for: an allergy or intolerance, a vegan or vegetarian diet, a calorie or protein goal, and the labels on supplements and skincare too. Build a profile · For dermatologists, dietitians and doctors

Sources

The job, the description and the EU annex entry are CosIng’s; the fragrance allergens are the EU Annex III names Bravoora’s label checker reads; the product counts are Open Beauty Facts’.

  1. European Commission: CosIng cosmetic ingredient database (functions, description, EU annex entry)
  2. Open Beauty Facts: product database, 77,506 products, read 13 October 2026, ODbL
  3. EU Regulation 1223/2009 on cosmetic products (the annexes)

Contains information from Open Beauty Facts, which is made available here under the Open Database License (ODbL). Read the licence · Download this dictionary’s data · How we check

Create a website profile with the things you avoid and the people you check for.

Build my profile

Save and edit your profile on this website. App transfer is not available yet.