Database/Cleansing/Ammonium C12-15 Pareth Sulfate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Ammonium C12-15 Pareth Sulfate natural?

Mostly not. The C12-15 alcohol is an odd-carbon oxo blend made from petrochemical olefins, and the ethoxylate chain is ethylene oxide; only the sulfate group counts as natural origin.

INCI nameAmmonium C12-15 Pareth Sulfate
CAS125301-89-5
FunctionCleansing
FeedstockPetrochemical C12-15 oxo alcohols ethoxylated with ethylene oxide,…

How we scored it

C12-15 alcohol blends are petrochemical oxo products (site policy): alkoxy fragment ~205 Da (average C13.5H27O) and 2.5 EO 110 Da are petrochemical; NH4 18 Da is synthetic ammonia; only the sulfate SO3 80 Da is natural mineral origin. 80/413 = 0.19.
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

Petrochemical C12-15 oxo alcohols ethoxylated with ethylene oxide, sulfated with sulfur trioxide and neutralised with ammonia.

In plain English

A mild cleansing surfactant used in shampoos and body washes. It's made from a coconut- or palm-derived fatty alcohol combined with petroleum-derived ethylene oxide, then treated with ammonia and sulfated.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-sulfo-.omega.-hydroxy-, C12-15-alkyl ethers (1-4 mol EO average molar ratio)

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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. 2AMMONIUM C12-15 PARETH SULFATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3AMMONIUM C12-15 PARETH SULFATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=AMMONIUM%20C12-15%20PARETH%20SULFATE