Database/Emollient/Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate natural?

Mostly. The four isostearic-acid arms are oleochemical (branched oleic-acid derivative) while the pentaerythritol core is made from petrochemical formaldehyde/acetaldehyde.

INCI namePentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate
CAS62125-22-8
FormulaC77H148O8 · 1202.0 Da
FunctionEmollient · Emulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockPentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate esterifies petrochemical pentaerythritol, made industrially from…

How we scored it

4x isostearic acid C18H36O2 284 Da each (natural) + pentaerythritol C5H12O4 136 Da (petrochemical) - 4 H2O = 1070/1202 = 0.89.
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

Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate esterifies petrochemical pentaerythritol, made industrially from formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, with four molecules of isostearic acid, a branched fatty acid derived from natural oleic acid. No natural route exists for the pentaerythritol core.

In plain English

A rich, non-greasy emollient that conditions skin and helps cleansing products foam. It joins four vegetable-oil-derived fatty acid chains to a small petrochemical alcohol core.

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Structure

2D structure of Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate

[3-(16-methylheptadecanoyloxy)-2,2-bis(16-methylheptadecanoyloxymethyl)propyl] 16-methylheptadecanoate

PubChem CID 173849 ↗

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. 2Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate. PubChem CID 173849. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRAISOSTEARATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRAISOSTEARATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PENTAERYTHRITYL%20TETRAISOSTEARATE