Database/Emollient/Isostearyl Ethylhexanoate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Isostearyl Ethylhexanoate natural?

Mostly. Isostearyl alcohol comes from vegetable oleic acid, while 2-ethylhexanoic acid is made from propylene by oxo chemistry, so only the alcohol half counts as natural origin.

INCI nameIsostearyl Ethylhexanoate
CAS69247-83-2
FormulaC26H52O2 · 396.7 Da
FunctionEmollient · Skin Conditioning
FeedstockDominant route: isostearic acid, a co-product of vegetable…

How we scored it

Isostearyl-O C18H37O 269.5 natural (oleic-acid derived); 2-ethylhexanoyl C8H15O 127.2 petrochemical (propylene oxo); total C26H52O2 396.7; 269.5/396.7 = 0.68.
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

Dominant route: isostearic acid, a co-product of vegetable oleic acid dimerisation, is reduced to isostearyl alcohol and esterified with petrochemical 2-ethylhexanoic acid. Supplier note: branched C18 alcohols from petrochemical oxo or Guerbet routes exist and would give 0.00.

In plain English

An emollient ester that softens skin and helps products spread smoothly. It joins a branched fatty alcohol from vegetable oils (isostearyl alcohol) to 2-ethylhexanoic acid, which is made from petrochemical propylene.

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Structure

2D structure of Isostearyl Ethylhexanoate

16-methylheptadecyl 2-ethylhexanoate

PubChem CID 21960448 ↗

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. 2Isostearyl Ethylhexanoate. PubChem CID 21960448. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3ISOSTEARYL ETHYLHEXANOATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4ISOSTEARYL ETHYLHEXANOATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ISOSTEARYL%20ETHYLHEXANOATE