Database/Cleansing/Diethylhexyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Diethylhexyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate natural?

Mostly not. The sodium sulfonate comes from sodium bisulfite (mineral); 2-ethylhexanol (propylene oxo chemistry) and the maleic anhydride-derived succinate backbone are petrochemical.

INCI nameDiethylhexyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate
CAS577-11-7
FormulaC20H37NaO7S · 444.6 Da
FunctionCleansing · Emulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockDominant route: maleic anhydride (from butane) is esterified…

How we scored it

Mineral: SO3Na 103 Da (sodium bisulfite); petrochemical: two 2-ethylhexyl C8H17 226 + succinate backbone C4H3O4 115 = 341 Da; total 444; 103/444 = 0.23.
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

Dominant route: maleic anhydride (from butane) is esterified with 2-ethylhexanol and sulfonated with sodium bisulfite. Bio-based succinic acid or alcohol feedstocks exist but are not commercially significant for this ingredient.

In plain English

A strong wetting and cleansing agent (also known as docusate sodium) that helps oils and water mix and lets liquids spread. It is made from petroleum-derived 2-ethylhexanol and maleic acid, with a sodium sulfonate group.

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Structure

2D structure of Diethylhexyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate

sodium 1,4-bis(2-ethylhexoxy)-1,4-dioxobutane-2-sulfonate

PubChem CID 23673837 ↗

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. 2Diethylhexyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate. PubChem CID 23673837. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3DIETHYLHEXYL SODIUM SULFOSUCCINATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4DIETHYLHEXYL SODIUM SULFOSUCCINATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=DIETHYLHEXYL%20SODIUM%20SULFOSUCCINATE