Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/Sorbitan Palmitate
100% natural origin · ISO 16128

Is Sorbitan Palmitate natural?

Yes. Both sorbitan and palmitic acid are natural-origin, derived from plant sugar and vegetable oil respectively.

INCI nameSorbitan Palmitate
CAS26266-57-9
FormulaC22H42O6 · 402.6 Da
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockMade by esterifying sorbitol, a plant-derived sugar alcohol,…

How we scored it

Sorbitan (from sorbitol) + palmitic acid, ester condensation; both fragments natural. 1.0.
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.

How it’s made

Acid-catalysed ring closure of sorbitol (intramolecular SN2). Sorbitan is the ring at the core of every sorbitan ester and polysorbate. Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the scores for the whole family.

Where it comes from

Made by esterifying sorbitol, a plant-derived sugar alcohol, with palmitic acid from palm or other vegetable oil. No petrochemical processing step is involved.

In plain English

An emulsifier that helps oil and water blend in creams and lotions. Made from sorbitol, a sugar alcohol derived from plants, combined with palmitic acid, a fatty acid from palm or other vegetable oils. Fully plant-derived.

CosIng definition: Sorbitan palmitate

Structure

2D structure of Sorbitan Palmitate

[(2R)-2-[(2R,3R,4S)-3,4-dihydroxyoxolan-2-yl]-2-hydroxyethyl] hexadecanoate

PubChem CID 16212480 ↗

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. 2Sorbitan Palmitate. PubChem CID 16212480. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3SORBITAN PALMITATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4SORBITAN PALMITATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SORBITAN%20PALMITATE