How we scored it
C20H42O straight-chain fatty alcohol; assumed oleochemical (hydrogenation of natural C20 fatty acid) per default → 1.00.
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
Typically produced by hydrogenating a natural C20 fatty acid or ester from vegetable oil. A minority of suppliers may use petrochemical Ziegler or oxo-alcohol synthesis for the same chain length.
In plain English
A waxy fatty alcohol used to thicken and stabilise creams and lotions. Usually made by hydrogenating natural vegetable fats, though a petrochemical version also exists.
Structure
icosan-1-ol
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.
- 2Arachidyl Alcohol. PubChem CID 12404. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
- 3ARACHIDYL ALCOHOL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 4ARACHIDYL ALCOHOL. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ARACHIDYL%20ALCOHOL