Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/Disodium PEG-5 Laurylcitrate Sulfosuccinate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Disodium PEG-5 Laurylcitrate Sulfosuccinate natural?

Mostly. Lauryl alcohol is coconut-derived, citric acid is a fermentation product, sodium is a mineral counter-ion and the sulfonate comes from mineral sulfuric acid, so all four count as natural origin. Only the PEG-5 ethoxylate and the maleic-anhydride-derived succinate backbone are petrochemical.

INCI nameDisodium PEG-5 Laurylcitrate Sulfosuccinate
CAS164458-73-5
FormulaC28H53NaO18S · 732.8 Da
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Hydrotrope Surfactant
FeedstockBuilt from coconut-derived lauryl alcohol and fermentation-derived citric…

How we scored it

Working from the approximate 749 Da structure: natural origin is the lauryl chain (169 Da), the citrate portion (174 Da), the sulfonate SO3 (80.06 Da) and the sodium counter-ion (23 Da) = 446 Da. Petrochemical is the PEG-5 chain (220 Da) plus the succinate core (83 Da). So 446/749 = 0.60.
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

Built from coconut-derived lauryl alcohol and fermentation-derived citric acid, esterified with PEG-5 and with sulfosuccinic acid made from maleic anhydride, then neutralised with sodium. The structure and stoichiometry are approximate because the name and the supplied formula disagree on the sodium count.

In plain English

A mild, complex surfactant used to boost foam and mildness in cleansers. It combines coconut-derived lauryl alcohol and fermentation-derived citric acid with petroleum-based building blocks, giving it roughly half natural, half synthetic origin.

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Structure

2D structure of Disodium PEG-5 Laurylcitrate Sulfosuccinate

sodium;dodecan-1-ol;hydride;2-sulfobutanedioic acid;tris(2-hydroxyethyl) 2-hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylate

PubChem CID 172878268 ↗

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. 2Disodium PEG-5 Laurylcitrate Sulfosuccinate. PubChem CID 172878268. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3DISODIUM PEG-5 LAURYLCITRATE SULFOSUCCINATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4DISODIUM PEG-5 LAURYLCITRATE SULFOSUCCINATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=DISODIUM%20PEG-5%20LAURYLCITRATE%20SULFOSUCCINATE