Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/DEA-Cetyl Phosphate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is DEA-Cetyl Phosphate natural?

Mostly. Natural cetyl alcohol and the mineral phosphate group outweigh the petrochemical diethanolamine counter-ion used to neutralise the ester.

INCI nameDEA-Cetyl Phosphate
CAS69331-39-1
FormulaC20H46NO6P · 427.6 Da
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockMade by esterifying oleochemical cetyl alcohol with phosphoric…

How we scored it

Cetyl alcohol C16H34O 242.4 Da (oleochemical) + phosphate group ~81 Da (natural, mineral) = 323.4 natural; DEA C4H11NO2 105.1 Da (petrochemical amine) → 323.4/428.6 ≈ 0.75.
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 esterifying oleochemical cetyl alcohol with phosphoric acid, then neutralising with diethanolamine (DEA), a petrochemical synthetic amine. Ester substitution degree is not specified by the name.

In plain English

An emulsifying, cleansing ingredient made from plant/animal-fat-derived cetyl alcohol and mineral phosphate, neutralised with a synthetic amine. Helps oil and water blend in creams and cleansers.

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Structure

2D structure of DEA-Cetyl Phosphate

hexadecyl dihydrogen phosphate;2-(2-hydroxyethylamino)ethanol

PubChem CID 103237 ↗

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. 2DEA-Cetyl Phosphate. PubChem CID 103237. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3DEA-CETYL PHOSPHATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4DEA-CETYL PHOSPHATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=DEA-CETYL%20PHOSPHATE