Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/Laureth-1
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Laureth-1 natural?

Mostly. Lauryl alcohol from coconut/palm kernel oil is ethoxylated with 1 mol of petrochemical ethylene oxide.

INCI nameLaureth-1
CAS4536-30-5
FormulaC14H30O2 · 230.39 Da
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockLauryl alcohol from coconut or palm kernel oil…

How we scored it

Lauryl alcohol C12H26O 186.33 Da (natural, oleochemical) + 1x C2H4O ethylene oxide 44.05 Da (petrochemical) = 186.33/230.39 = 0.81
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

Lauryl alcohol from coconut or palm kernel oil (oleochemical route), reacted with petrochemical ethylene oxide. Supplier note: synthetic Ziegler/oxo lauryl alcohol also exists.

In plain English

A mild emulsifying and cleansing surfactant made from coconut-derived lauryl alcohol reacted with one unit of ethylene oxide.

Natural alternatives with the same function

Structure

2D structure of Laureth-1

2-dodecoxyethanol

PubChem CID 24750 ↗

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. 2Laureth-1. PubChem CID 24750. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3LAURETH-1. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4LAURETH-1. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=LAURETH-1