Database/Humectant/Ethoxydiglycol
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Ethoxydiglycol natural?

No. Made from petrochemical ethylene oxide and synthetic ethanol, so no fragment is natural origin unless a supplier uses fermentation ethanol.

INCI nameEthoxydiglycol
CAS111-90-0
FormulaC6H14O3 · 134.17 Da
FunctionHumectant · Solvent
FeedstockEthylene oxide reacted with ethanol; both petrochemical in…

How we scored it

Diethylene glycol monoethyl ether C6H14O3 134 Da: two ethylene-oxide units 88 Da petrochemical; the ethanol fragment 46 Da is synthetic ethylene-derived ethanol in industrial production → 0 / 134 = 0.00. A fermentation-ethanol grade would score 0.34.
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.

How it’s made

Ethoxide opens ethylene oxide twice (SN2), then protonation. Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the score above.

Where it comes from

Ethylene oxide reacted with ethanol; both petrochemical in standard production. Confirm the ethanol source if a natural-origin fraction is claimed.

In plain English

A fast-penetrating solvent that helps fragrance and active ingredients absorb into skin. Built from alcohol reacted with two units of petrochemical ethylene oxide, so it is mostly synthetic.

Natural alternatives with the same function

Structure

2D structure of Ethoxydiglycol

2-(2-ethoxyethoxy)ethanol

PubChem CID 8146 ↗

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. 2Ethoxydiglycol. PubChem CID 8146. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3ETHOXYDIGLYCOL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4ETHOXYDIGLYCOL. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ETHOXYDIGLYCOL