Is Isoceteth-30 natural? NOI route-dependent

Q: Is Isoceteth-30 natural?

Isoceteth-30 is a route-dependent ingredient — its NOI (0–1) depends on the manufacturing process used. The ethoxylate chain is petrochemical either way; the isocetyl half is natural only when the Guerbet alcohol was built from natural fatty alcohol.

Why the score varies

This ingredient is made commercially by more than one route, and ISO 16128 scores the feedstock actually used. Without a supplier certificate of origin the value cannot be claimed.

Route	Feedstock	NOI	Share	Notes
isocetyl alcohol from natural fatty alcohol	isocetyl (2-hexyldecyl) alcohol from Guerbet dimerisation of coconut or palm-kernel octanol, ethoxylated with 30 EO (petrochemical)	0.15		isocetyl 241.4 Da natural of 1564.0 Da; the 30 EO 1321.6 Da are petrochemical
isocetyl alcohol from petrochemical fatty alcohol	isocetyl alcohol from Ziegler or oxo octanol, ethoxylated with 30 EO	0.00		no natural-origin atoms

Ask your supplier. A batch-specific certificate of origin or bio-based carbon test (ASTM D6866) settles which route applies.

How we scored it

Isoceteth-30 1564.0 Da = isocetyl fragment 241.4 Da + 30 EO 1321.6 Da (petrochemical) + terminal H. Natural-alcohol route 241.4/1564.0 = 0.15; petrochemical-alcohol route 0.00. Same treatment as Isoceteth-10.

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

Isocetyl alcohol (Guerbet, natural or petrochemical) ethoxylated with ethylene oxide.

In plain English

A cleansing and emulsifying ingredient made from a fatty alcohol combined with ethylene oxide, helping oil and water mix in a formula.

CosIng definition: Alcohols, C16-branched, ethoxylated (30 mol EO average molar ratio)

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References

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.
2ISOCETETH-30. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
3ISOCETETH-30. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ISOCETETH-30