As China’s personal care industry accelerates its shift toward premiumization and sustainability, growing consumer demand for high-end skincare and cosmetics is driving an upgrade of upstream key ingredients. Myristyl alcohol is a critical raw material in premium personal care formulations, widely used in creams, shampoos, lipsticks and other products, where its purity and quality directly determine the texture and competitiveness of finished goods. For a long time, China’s high-end myristyl alcohol market relied heavily on imports and was constrained by the technological and capacity dominance of international suppliers. Recently, a major domestic green chemical project achieved a breakthrough: a large-scale myristyl alcohol production facility targeting the premium personal care market has been successfully commissioned. This fills the gap in domestic large-scale high-end capacity and marks a new step toward greater self-reliance and controllability in China’s personal care ingredients industry.

1. Project overview: large-scale capacity online, meeting premium standards

The newly commissioned project adopts an advanced esterification–hydrogenation process using natural coconut oil as the primary feedstock. Through multiple optimized processing steps, it enables efficient large-scale production with an annual capacity at the 10,000-ton level and stable output of 99% high-purity product. After several rounds of commissioning and pilot runs, all key product indicators meet international premium standards. Verified by third-party testing, the material can be directly used in high-end personal care manufacturing, breaking import dependence and further strengthening the domestic natural fatty alcohol value chain.

2. Core technology: renewable feedstock with green and efficient processing

The project delivers dual process breakthroughs. On the raw material side, renewable coconut oil replaces petroleum-based feedstocks, aligning with low-carbon and sustainable trends while ensuring stable supply and reducing exposure to crude oil price fluctuations. On the process side, optimized esterification–hydrogenation technology combined with customized catalysts improves production efficiency by over 20% compared with conventional routes, while reducing energy consumption and emissions. This achieves the dual goals of green manufacturing and premium product quality.

3. Applications: focused on high-end personal care, enabling multi-category upgrades

The high-purity myristyl alcohol produced by this project is positioned primarily for the premium personal care segment. In high-end skincare, it acts as an emulsifying stabilizer and emollient to enhance texture and skin feel. In premium shampoos, it functions as a thickener and defoaming aid to improve user experience. Its derivatives can serve as high-grade oily bases for color cosmetics such as lotions and lipsticks. Beyond personal care, it also has potential in pharmaceutical formulations and industrial lubricants, indicating broad market prospects.

4. Industry impact: breaking import dominance and upgrading domestic capabilities

Industry reports indicate steady growth in China’s myristyl alcohol market, yet 99% high-purity grades have been largely supplied by overseas producers at relatively high prices, increasing downstream costs. The launch of this project will significantly raise the domestic self-sufficiency rate for premium products, break the long-standing supply dominance of imports, ease supply pressure and lower procurement costs. At the same time, it will drive technological upgrading across the natural fatty alcohol sector, accelerating the transition from mid- to low-end contract manufacturing toward high-end, self-developed production and enhancing China’s global competitiveness.

Conclusion

The successful commissioning of large-scale myristyl alcohol production marks a key milestone in overcoming high-end barriers and achieving scale in China’s personal care ingredients industry. It fills the domestic gap in premium capacity and establishes a complete chain from natural feedstock to green production and high-end applications. With further capacity ramp-up and ongoing process optimization, the project will better meet demand for premium personal care ingredients, strengthen downstream competitiveness, and propel the industry toward high-end, green and self-reliant development, injecting strong momentum into overall sector upgrading.