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

Is Sorbitan Trioleate natural?

Yes. Sorbitan derives from natural sorbitol and the three fatty chains are natural oleic acid; both feedstocks are plant-based.

INCI nameSorbitan Trioleate
CAS26266-58-0
FormulaC60H108O8 · 957.5 Da
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockMade by esterifying sorbitan (dehydrated sorbitol, a sugar…

How we scored it

Sorbitan (from sorbitol) + 3 oleic acid esters, both natural building blocks; esterification = 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 sorbitan (dehydrated sorbitol, a sugar alcohol) with three molecules of oleic acid from vegetable oil. A fully oleochemical process.

In plain English

An emulsifier that helps blend oil and water in creams and lotions. It's made from plant sugar (sorbitol) and vegetable-oil fatty acid, with no petrochemical component.

Structure

2D structure of Sorbitan Trioleate

[(2R)-2-[(2R,3R,4S)-4-hydroxy-3-[(Z)-octadec-9-enoyl]oxyoxolan-2-yl]-2-[(Z)-octadec-9-enoyl]oxyethyl] (Z)-octadec-9-enoate

PubChem CID 9920343 ↗

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 Trioleate. PubChem CID 9920343. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3SORBITAN TRIOLEATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4SORBITAN TRIOLEATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SORBITAN%20TRIOLEATE