Database/Humectant/Glycereth-12
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Glycereth-12 natural?

Mostly not. Glycerin is natural but is heavily ethoxylated with 12 moles of petrochemical ethylene oxide, which dominates the final mass.

INCI nameGlycereth-12
CAS31694-55-0
FormulaC9H20O6 · 224.25 Da
FunctionHumectant · Viscosity Controlling
FeedstockMade by reacting natural glycerin with an average…

How we scored it

Glycerin backbone 92 Da (natural) + 12 mol ethylene oxide x 44 Da = 529 Da (petrochemical) = 621 Da total; 92/621=0.15.
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 reacting natural glycerin with an average of 12 moles of ethylene oxide (petrochemical) per molecule. Used as a humectant and viscosity-controlling agent.

In plain English

A humectant made by reacting plant-derived glycerin with a petrochemical gas (ethylene oxide) to improve its texture and solubility. Most of its final weight comes from the synthetic portion.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.,.alpha.',.alpha.''-1,2,3-propanetriyltris-.omega.-hydroxy-

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Structure

2D structure of Glycereth-12

2-[2,3-bis(2-hydroxyethoxy)propoxy]ethanol

PubChem CID 88802 ↗

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. 2Glycereth-12. PubChem CID 88802. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3GLYCERETH-12. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4GLYCERETH-12. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=GLYCERETH-12