Database/Humectant/Glycereth-20
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Glycereth-20 natural?

Mostly not. Glycerin backbone is natural; the 20-mole ethylene oxide chain is petrochemical and dominates the molecule's mass.

INCI nameGlycereth-20
CAS31694-55-0
FunctionHumectant · Viscosity Controlling
FeedstockMade by reacting natural glycerin (from vegetable-oil splitting)…

How we scored it

Given formula/MW/IUPAC match only ~3 EO groups, inconsistent with '-20'; trusted description instead: glycerin 92 (natural) + 20 EO 881 (petrochemical) = 92/973=0.09.
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 (from vegetable-oil splitting) with about 20 moles of petrochemical ethylene oxide per molecule. The heavy ethoxylation makes the product mostly petrochemical by mass.

In plain English

A humectant made by attaching a long petroleum-derived chain to plant-based glycerin. It is used to draw and hold moisture at the skin's surface.

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

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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-20. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3GLYCERETH-20. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=GLYCERETH-20