Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/Laneth-16
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Laneth-16 natural?

Mostly not. Lanolin alcohols (sterols/fatty alcohols from wool grease) are natural; the 16-mole ethoxylate chain is petrochemical.

INCI nameLaneth-16
CAS61791-20-6
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockWool-grease-derived lanolin alcohol, a sterol and fatty-alcohol mixture,…

How we scored it

Lanolin alcohol (complex mixture, est. avg MW ~370, natural) + 16 EOx44.1=705 (petrochemical) = ~1075 total; 370/1075 → 0.34 (estimated, no formula given)
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

Wool-grease-derived lanolin alcohol, a sterol and fatty-alcohol mixture, is ethoxylated with about 16 moles of petrochemical ethylene oxide. No formula was supplied, so the natural fraction is estimated from typical lanolin alcohol molecular weight.

In plain English

An emulsifier made from lanolin (wool grease) alcohols reacted with ethylene oxide, a petroleum-based chemical. Used to help blend oil and water in creams and lotions.

CosIng definition: Alcohols, lanolin, ethoxylated

Natural alternatives with the same function

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. 2LANETH-16. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3LANETH-16. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=LANETH-16