Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/PEG-4 Dioleate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is PEG-4 Dioleate natural?

Mostly. Oleic acid from vegetable oil provides both natural acyl fragments; the small 4-unit ethylene oxide backbone is petrochemical but a minor share of this diester.

INCI namePEG-4 Dioleate
CAS9005-07-6
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockMade by esterifying both ends of a 4-mole…

How we scored it

Supplied formula (591.0) is ethylene-glycol dioleate and contradicts the '4 mol EO' description; recomputed: 2x oleoyl 530.92 (natural) / [530.92 + 192.21 PEG-4 diyl = 723.13] = 0.73.
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

Made by esterifying both ends of a 4-mole ethylene oxide adduct (PEG-4) with oleic acid from vegetable oils. No natural route exists for the petrochemical ethylene oxide backbone.

In plain English

An emulsifying ingredient made by attaching two plant-oil fatty acid molecules to a short chain of ethylene oxide, a petroleum-derived building block. It helps oil and water mix in creams.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-(1-oxo-9-octadecenyl)-.omega.-[(1-oxo-9-octadecenyl)oxy]-, (Z,Z)- (4 mol EO average molar ratio)

Natural alternatives with the same function

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-4 DIOLEATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-4 DIOLEATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-4%20DIOLEATE