Cetyl alcohol, is a long chain fatty alcohol that is hexadecane substituted by a hydroxy group at position 1.It is a synthetic, solid, fatty alcohol and nonionic surfactant. Cetyl alcohol, also known as hexadecan-1-ol and palmityl alcohol,is a C-16 fatty alcohol with the formula CH3(CH2)15OH. At room temperature, cetyl alcohol takes the form of a waxy white solid or flakes.