Database/Cleansing/Ceteth-10 Phosphate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Ceteth-10 Phosphate natural?

Mostly not. Cetyl (C16) alcohol is oleochemical and the phosphate group is mineral, both natural; the ten ethylene oxide units are petrochemical.

INCI nameCeteth-10 Phosphate
CAS50643-20-4
FunctionCleansing · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockMade by ethoxylating coconut/palm cetyl alcohol with about…

How we scored it

Cetyl alcohol 242.4 + phosphate cap 80.0 Da (mineral) natural = 322.4; 10×EO 440.5 Da petrochemical; total 763.0 → 0.42. CosIng states 10 mol EO; given formula matches only 1 EO.
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

Made by ethoxylating coconut/palm cetyl alcohol with about 10 moles of ethylene oxide, then esterifying with phosphoric acid. Ethylene oxide is petrochemical; phosphoric acid is mineral.

In plain English

A cleansing surfactant used in washes and cleansers. Made from a coconut/palm fatty alcohol reacted with ethylene oxide and mineral phosphoric acid.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-hexadecyl-.omega.-hydroxy-, phosphate (10 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. 2CETETH-10 PHOSPHATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3CETETH-10 PHOSPHATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CETETH-10%20PHOSPHATE