Database/Emollient/Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol natural?

Mostly. The sterol/alcohol backbone comes from sheep's-wool lanolin; the small acetyl cap added for the ester is a petrochemical fragment.

INCI nameAcetylated Lanolin Alcohol
CAS61788-49-6
FunctionEmollient · Hair Conditioning
FeedstockMade by acetylating lanolin alcohol, a mixture of…

How we scored it

Lanolin alcohol (mainly cholesterol/wool-wax sterols, natural, ~387 Da) + acetyl cap from acetic anhydride (petrochemical, ~43 Da); 387/430 = 0.90
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 by acetylating lanolin alcohol, a mixture of sterols and aliphatic alcohols refined from sheep's-wool grease (lanolin), using acetic anhydride. Only the small acetyl cap is petrochemical mass.

In plain English

An emollient made by treating lanolin alcohol, refined from sheep's-wool wax, with a chemical cap that improves its texture and stability. Most of the molecule still comes from wool wax.

CosIng definition: Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol is the acetyl ester of Lanolin Alcohol.

Natural alternatives with the same function

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