Database/Cleansing/Beheneth-25
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Beheneth-25 natural?

Mostly not. Behenyl fatty alcohol is natural/oleochemical; the long 25-mole ethylene oxide chain dominates the mass and is petrochemical.

INCI nameBeheneth-25
CAS26636-40-8
FunctionCleansing · Emulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockThe docosanol backbone typically comes from behenic acid…

How we scored it

Docosanol C22H46O 326 Da (natural) + 25xEO 44 Da (petrochemical) 1100 Da = 1426 Da; 326/1426 = 0.23. Supplied formula (C28H58O4) again matches only ~3 EO, contradicting stated 25 mol EO.
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

The docosanol backbone typically comes from behenic acid in vegetable oils. It is heavily ethoxylated with petrochemical ethylene oxide, which is why the natural fraction is low.

In plain English

A fatty alcohol from behenic acid (found in vegetable fats) reacted with a large amount of ethylene oxide, a petrochemical. Used as a cleansing emulsifier that mixes oil and water in cleansers and lotions.

CosIng definition: Docosanol, ethoxylated, 25 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. 2BEHENETH-25. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3BEHENETH-25. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=BEHENETH-25