How we scored it
Where it comes from
Cetyl alcohol, usually from coconut or palm oil, is reacted with petrochemical ethylene oxide to add 16 EO units on average. Ethylene oxide has no natural-origin cosmetic-scale source.
In plain English
A cleansing and emulsifying ingredient made by attaching a chain of ethylene oxide, a petrochemical building block, to cetyl alcohol, a fatty alcohol usually from coconut or palm oil. Helps oil and water mix in creams and cleansers.
CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-hexadecyl-.omega.-hydroxy- (16 mol EO average molar ratio)
Natural alternatives with the same function
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C10-16 Alkyl Glucoside 100% natural originA mild, sugar-based cleansing and emulsifying surfactant made by combining plant-derived fatty alcohols (coconut/palm) with glucose from starch.…
C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside 100% natural originA mild, sugar-based cleansing ingredient made from coconut or palm fatty alcohols and glucose; helps cleanse skin and…
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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.
- 2CETETH-16. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 3CETETH-16. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CETETH-16