Database/Humectant/Glycereth-26
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Glycereth-26 natural?

Mostly not. A small natural glycerin core carries a long petrochemical polyethylene-oxide chain of 26 units.

INCI nameGlycereth-26
CAS31694-55-0
FormulaC9H20O6 · 224.25 Da
FunctionHumectant · Viscosity Controlling
FeedstockMade by reacting natural glycerin (from plant oils…

How we scored it

Glycerin 92 Da (natural) + 26x ethylene oxide 44 Da (petrochemical, 1145 Da) = 92/1237 = 0.07
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 plant oils or fermentation) with 26 moles of petrochemical ethylene oxide.

In plain English

A humectant and thickening helper made from glycerin extended with a long chain of ethylene oxide. Because the chain is so long, most of its weight is synthetic.

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-26

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-26. PubChem CID 88802. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3GLYCERETH-26. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4GLYCERETH-26. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=GLYCERETH-26