Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate natural?

Mostly not. The polyhydroxystearic acid arms are castor-oil-derived (natural); the central PEG-30 diol linking them is petrochemical; oligomer chain length assumed.

INCI namePEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockPEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate esterifies castor-oil-derived polyhydroxystearic acid arms (assumed…

How we scored it

Assumed DP=2 12-hydroxystearic acid (castor-oil-derived, natural) per arm x2 arms = 1131.9 Da, esterified to a PEG-30 diol (petrochemical, 1337.6 Da). 1131.9/2469.4 = 0.46.
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.

Where it comes from

PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate esterifies castor-oil-derived polyhydroxystearic acid arms (assumed dimer, natural) onto both ends of a petrochemical PEG-30 diol. The natural fraction depends on the actual, supplier-specific degree of oligomerisation, which was estimated here.

In plain English

A polymeric emulsifier used to stabilise water-in-oil creams. It combines a castor-oil-derived fatty portion with a petroleum-derived glycol chain; roughly half its weight comes from each source.

CosIng definition: 12-Hydroxyoctadecanoic acid, homopolymer, diesters with .alpha.-hydro-.omega.-hydroxypoly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl) (30 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. 2PEG-30 DIPOLYHYDROXYSTEARATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-30 DIPOLYHYDROXYSTEARATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-30%20DIPOLYHYDROXYSTEARATE