How we scored it
Sorbitan (from sorbitol, natural) esterified with oleic acid (natural fatty acid, 2:3 ratio); condensation loses only water -> 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
Where it comes from
Sorbitan sesquioleate is made by dehydrating sorbitol to sorbitan, then esterifying with oleic acid from vegetable oil. Both feedstocks are plant-derived.
In plain English
A water-in-oil emulsifier used in creams and sunscreens. It's made from sorbitol (a plant sugar alcohol) combined with oleic acid, a fatty acid from vegetable oil.
CosIng definition: Sorbitan, (Z)-9-octadecenoate (2:3)
Structure
bis((2R,3R,4R,5S)-hexane-1,2,3,4,5,6-hexol);tris((Z)-octadec-9-enoic acid)
References
- 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.
- 2Sorbitan Sesquioleate. PubChem CID 6433515. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
- 3SORBITAN SESQUIOLEATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 4SORBITAN SESQUIOLEATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SORBITAN%20SESQUIOLEATE