Database/Emollient/Ethylhexyl Stearate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Ethylhexyl Stearate natural?

Mostly. The stearic acid portion is natural oleochemical; the 2-ethylhexanol portion is petrochemical (oxo-process), giving 0.67 by mass.

INCI nameEthylhexyl Stearate
CAS22047-49-0
FormulaC26H52O2 · 396.7 Da
FunctionEmollient
FeedstockProduced by esterifying natural stearic acid, from vegetable…

How we scored it

Natural stearoyl C18H35O 267 Da; petrochemical 2-ethylhexoxy C8H17O 129 Da (from 2-ethylhexanol) → 267/397 = 0.67.
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

Fischer esterification of stearic acid with 2-ethylhexanol. Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the score above.

Where it comes from

Produced by esterifying natural stearic acid, from vegetable fat, with petrochemical 2-ethylhexanol made via the oxo process. No natural source of 2-ethylhexanol is used commercially.

In plain English

A silky emollient that smooths and conditions skin. It combines a natural vegetable fatty acid with a synthetic branched alcohol, so about two-thirds of its weight is plant-derived.

CosIng definition: 2-Ethylhexyl stearate

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Structure

2D structure of Ethylhexyl Stearate

2-ethylhexyl octadecanoate

PubChem CID 13132266 ↗

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. 2Ethylhexyl Stearate. PubChem CID 13132266. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3ETHYLHEXYL STEARATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4ETHYLHEXYL STEARATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ETHYLHEXYL%20STEARATE