Database/Emollient/Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate natural?

Mostly. The cetearyl fatty-alcohol blend is oleochemical while 2-ethylhexanoic acid is made from petrochemical propylene-derived 2-ethylhexanol.

INCI nameCetearyl Ethylhexanoate
CAS90411-68-0
FormulaC24H48O2 · 368.6 Da
FunctionEmollient · Hair Conditioning
FeedstockCetearyl Ethylhexanoate esterifies oleochemical C16-18 cetearyl alcohol with…

How we scored it

Cetearyl alcohol (C16-18 blend, ~256 Da, natural) + 2-ethylhexanoic acid C8H16O2 144 Da (petrochemical) - H2O = 255/383 = 0.67.
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 Ethylhexanoate esterifies oleochemical C16-18 cetearyl alcohol with petrochemical 2-ethylhexanoic acid, an oxidation product of oxo-process 2-ethylhexanol. No natural route exists for the acid fragment.

In plain English

A lightweight emollient that gives skin and hair a smooth, non-greasy finish. It combines a natural coconut/palm-derived fatty alcohol blend with a branched acid made from petrochemical feedstock.

CosIng definition: Hexanoic acid, 2-ethyl-, C16-18-alkyl esters

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Structure

2D structure of Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate

hexadecyl 2-ethylhexanoate

PubChem CID 42956 ↗

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. 2Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate. PubChem CID 42956. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3CETEARYL ETHYLHEXANOATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4CETEARYL ETHYLHEXANOATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CETEARYL%20ETHYLHEXANOATE