By Jeanne Yacoubou

Alternate Names: magnesium octadecanoate; octadecanoic acid, magnesium salt; stearic acid, magnesium salt; magnesium distearate; E470b, E572

Commercial Source: mineral-plant
Used in: dietary supplements, pharmaceuticals

Used as: lubricant, binder, flow agent, release agent, anti-caking agent

Definition: Magnesium stearate formed by the reaction of a magnesium-containing compound and either a stearate-containing compound or stearic acid is most often used as a release agent or lubricant in pharmaceuticals and supplements. There are many non-food uses of magnesium stearate including personal care products, plastics and rubber.

Manufacturers:

http://www.acme-hardesty.com/product/magnesium-stearate/

“Our vegetable-based… magnesium stearate is made from palm oil.”

http://www2.mallinckrodt.com/active_pharmaceutical_ingredients/stearates/

(vegetable source listed by clicking on number to the left of chemical name under list titled “Stearate Products”)

http://www.peter-greven.de/en/products-applications/applications/food-additives/

http://www.silverfernchemical.com/products/magnesium-stearate/

Silver Fern told The VRG that “…the standard today is vegetable-based [stearates] especially for food use.”

http://www.brenntagspecialties.com/en/pages/Markets_IndustriesServed/Food/Stearates/index.html

Their magnesium stearate is vegetable oil-based.

Additional Information:

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2011-title21-vol3/pdf/CFR-2011-title21-vol3-sec184-1440.pdf

http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/11177

http://www.mdpi.com/2075-4442/2/1/21/htm

http://www.xlear.com/spry-dental-defense/xylitol-products/adults/natural-breath-mints/

Spry Gems Xylitol Mints told The VRG that their magnesium stearate is derived from “coconut oil.”

https://www.cocoavia.com/recipes/ingredients-nutritional-information

Cocoavia told The VRG that the magnesium stearate in their vegetarian capsules is derived from “plant sources.”

http://www.vrg.org/vrgnews/2013oct_1.php#s14

http://www.google.com/patents/EP1499197A2?cl=en

(paragraph 12 in Description and throughout Materials and Methods)

Classification: Vegan* Although it is possible to derive magnesium stearate from animal fats, it is not standard practice today in the food industry and no examples of tallow-derived magnesium stearate in foods or pharmaceuticals are known.

Entry Updated: August 2015

For information about more ingredients, see:
http://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php

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The contents of this posting, our website and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgement about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.