Described is a method for improving the spreading properties of fatty alcohol containing cosmetic ingredients by providing a fatty alcohol containing starting material and adding an effective amount of acylating source [e.g., R.sub.1C).dbd.O)OC(.dbd.O)R.sub.2, where R.sub.1 is an alkyl substituent of the acyl group having between 1 and 5 carbons; where R.sub.2 is a long chain fatty alkyl subsistent (non-limiting examples are unsaturated substituents such as CH.sub.3--(CH.sub.2).sub.7--CH.dbd.CH--CH.sub.2--(CH.sub.2).sub.x--, and saturated substituents such as CH.sub.3--(CH.sub.2).sub.y--, wherein x ranges from 4 to 12, and y ranges from 14 to 22, and the like)], wherein the spreading properties of the starting material are increased over the spreading properties originally exhibited.