Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/Isosteareth-15
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Isosteareth-15 natural?

Mostly not. The isostearyl alcohol is natural; the ethylene-oxide chain is petrochemical.

INCI nameIsosteareth-15
CAS52292-17-8
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockIsostearyl alcohol ethoxylated with about 15 mol of…

How we scored it

Isosteareth-15: isostearyl alcohol C18H38O 270.5 Da (natural, oleochemical) + 15 EO 660.8 Da (petrochemical) = 931.3 Da → 0.29. Same method as Isosteareth-20.
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

Isostearyl alcohol ethoxylated with about 15 mol of ethylene oxide.

In plain English

A mild cleansing and emulsifying ingredient made by reacting a plant/animal-fat-derived fatty alcohol with ethylene oxide, a petroleum-based chemical, to make it water-soluble. The fatty part is renewable; the ethoxylated part is not.

CosIng definition: Polyoxyethylene (15) Isostearyl Ether

Natural alternatives with the same function

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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. 2ISOSTEARETH-15. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3ISOSTEARETH-15. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ISOSTEARETH-15