Database/Cleansing/Ceteareth-23
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Ceteareth-23 natural?

Mostly not. Same fatty-alcohol base as the other Ceteareths; the highest EO count here gives the lowest natural fraction.

INCI nameCeteareth-23
CAS68439-49-6
FunctionCleansing · Emulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockA C16-18 oleochemical fatty-alcohol blend is ethoxylated with…

How we scored it

Cetearyl-O (~256 Da natural) + 23×EO (~1013 Da, petrochemical); 255/1270=0.20. Assumes ~50:50 cetyl:stearyl blend.
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

A C16-18 oleochemical fatty-alcohol blend is ethoxylated with ~23 moles of petrochemical ethylene oxide; petrochemical Ziegler alcohols are a minor alternative base.

In plain English

An emulsifying and cleansing ingredient made from plant/animal-derived fatty alcohols reacted with the petroleum chemical ethylene oxide; the most ethoxylated of the Ceteareths scored here.

CosIng definition: C16-18 alcohols, ethoxylated (23 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. 2CETEARETH-23. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3CETEARETH-23. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CETEARETH-23