Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate natural?

Mostly. Glucose, glycerin and stearic acid are all natural/oleochemical; only the small methyl cap from methanol is petrochemical.

INCI namePolyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockMade from glucose (methylated with methanol to form…

How we scored it

Methyl glucoside (glucose 180 natural + methanol cap 14 petrochemical =194, 0.93 nat) + triglycerin (240, natural) + 2 stearic acid (533, natural) minus condensation water; approx 952/970=0.98.
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 from glucose (methylated with methanol to form methyl glucoside), polyglycerol (from natural glycerin), and stearic acid (oleochemical), combined by etherification and esterification. Only the methyl group is petrochemical.

In plain English

A plant-derived emulsifier that blends oil and water in lotions. Built mostly from corn sugar, glycerin and vegetable fatty acid, with only a tiny synthetic methanol-derived component.

CosIng definition: Methyl-D-glucopyranoside, ethers with 1,2,3-propanetriol homopolymer, octadecanoates (1:1:2) (3 mol glycerol average molar ratio)

Natural alternatives with the same function

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 C10-16 Alkyl Glucoside 100% natural origin

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 C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside 100% natural origin

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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. 2POLYGLYCERYL-3 METHYLGLUCOSE DISTEARATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3POLYGLYCERYL-3 METHYLGLUCOSE DISTEARATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POLYGLYCERYL-3%20METHYLGLUCOSE%20DISTEARATE