How we scored it
Where it comes from
Oleyl alcohol, usually derived from vegetable oil, is ethoxylated with about 20 moles of petrochemical ethylene oxide to give a water-soluble surfactant. The ethylene oxide chain makes up most of the molecule's weight.
In plain English
A mild cleansing ingredient used in washes and shampoos. Made from oleyl alcohol, a fatty alcohol usually derived from vegetable oil, reacted with a long chain of petroleum-derived ethylene oxide to make it water-soluble. Mostly petrochemical by weight.
CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-9-(Z)-octadecenyl-.omega.-hydroxy (20 mol EO average molar ratio)
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References
- 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.
- 2OLETH-20. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 3OLETH-20. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=OLETH-20