Database/Cleansing/Ceteareth-30
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Ceteareth-30 natural?

Mostly not. The cetearyl (C16-18) fatty-alcohol arm is oleochemical and natural; the long ethylene-oxide chain is petrochemical.

INCI nameCeteareth-30
CAS68439-49-6
FunctionCleansing · Emulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockCetearyl alcohol is typically derived from coconut/palm or…

How we scored it

C16-18 alcohol avg ~256 Da (natural, oleochemical) + 30 EO x 44 = 1322 Da (petrochemical); 256/(256+1322) = 0.16.
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

Cetearyl alcohol is typically derived from coconut/palm or tallow fatty acids, reacted with a long chain of fossil-derived ethylene oxide. No natural route exists for the ethoxylation step.

In plain English

An emulsifier that helps oil and water mix in creams and cleansers. Made by reacting a blend of fatty alcohols (cetyl and stearyl, usually plant or animal derived) with a long petrochemical ethylene-oxide chain.

CosIng definition: C16-18 alcohols, ethoxylated (30 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-30. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3CETEARETH-30. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CETEARETH-30