How we scored it
Where it comes from
Made by ethoxylating cetearyl alcohol, a blend of oleochemical cetyl and stearyl fatty alcohols, with 15 moles ethylene oxide. Petrochemical-sourced cetearyl alcohol also occurs occasionally.
In plain English
An emulsifying, cleansing ingredient made from plant/animal-fat-derived fatty alcohols reacted with a large amount of ethylene oxide. It helps oil and water mix in creams and cleansers.
CosIng definition: C16-18 alcohols, ethoxylated (15 mol EO average molar ratio)
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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.
- 2CETEARETH-15. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 3CETEARETH-15. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CETEARETH-15