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., R1C)═O)OC(═O)R2, where R1 is an alkyl substituent of the acyl group having between 1 and 5 carbons; where R2 is a long chain fatty alkyl subsistent (non-limiting examples are unsaturated substituents such as CH3—(CH2)7—CH═CH—CH2—(CH2)x—, and saturated substituents such as CH3—(CH2)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.