Database/Cleansing/C12-15 Pareth-3 Phosphate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is C12-15 Pareth-3 Phosphate natural?

Mostly not. The alcohol and the ethoxylate chain are both petrochemical; only the phosphate group counts as natural origin.

INCI nameC12-15 Pareth-3 Phosphate
FunctionCleansing · Emulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockPetrochemical C12-15 oxo alcohols ethoxylated and phosphated.

How we scored it

C12-15 oxo-alcohol fragment ~205 Da (average C13.5H27O, petrochemical by site policy) + 3 EO 132.2 Da (petrochemical) + phosphate cap PO3H2 81.0 Da (mineral, natural) = 418 Da; 81/418 = 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 and phosphated.

In plain English

A phosphate ester made from fatty alcohols (from coconut or palm kernel oil) reacted with ethylene oxide, a petrochemical, and mineral phosphate. Used as a cleansing and emulsifying ingredient in washes.

CosIng definition: Phosphoric acid, alcohols C12-15 ethoxylated (3 mol EO average molar ratio) ester

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