Database/Cleansing/Ceteareth-20
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Ceteareth-20 natural?

Mostly not. Cetearyl alcohol is an oleochemical fatty alcohol blend; the 20 ethoxylate units come from petrochemical ethylene oxide.

INCI nameCeteareth-20
CAS68439-49-6
FunctionCleansing · Emulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockCetearyl alcohol, a natural C16-18 fatty alcohol blend,…

How we scored it

Cetearyl alcohol (avg C17, ~256.5 Da, natural) + 20x ethylene oxide (881.0 Da, petrochemical). 256.5/1137.5=0.23.
What counts. ISO 16128-2 scores the atoms that remain in the final ingredient. Reagents, solvents, catalysts and protecting groups used during manufacture leave no mass behind and are not counted.

How it’s made

Base-catalysed ethoxylation of cetyl alcohol (first ethylene oxide). The film draws the key step and names the steps after it. Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the score above.

Where it comes from

Cetearyl alcohol, a natural C16-18 fatty alcohol blend, reacted with 20 moles of petrochemical ethylene oxide. The long EO chain dominates the molecular mass.

In plain English

A fatty-alcohol blend reacted with 20 units of ethylene oxide. Used as an emulsifier and cleansing agent, it helps oil and water mix together in creams and cleansers.

CosIng definition: C16-18 alcohols, ethoxylated (20 mol EO average molar ratio)

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References

  1. 1ISO 16128-1:2016 and ISO 16128-2:2017 — Guidelines on technical definitions and criteria for natural and organic cosmetic ingredients and products. ISO, Geneva.
  2. 2CETEARETH-20. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3CETEARETH-20. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CETEARETH-20