Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/Laureth-10
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Laureth-10 natural?

Mostly not. The lauryl chain is coconut/palm-oil derived and natural; the ten ethoxylate units come from petrochemical ethylene oxide.

INCI nameLaureth-10
CAS9002-92-0
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockDodecanol for Laureth-10 is typically oleochemical, from coconut…

How we scored it

Dodecanol natural fragment C12H25O 185.3 Da / total (dodecanol+10 EO) 626.9 Da = 0.30.
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

Dodecanol for Laureth-10 is typically oleochemical, from coconut or palm kernel oil. It is reacted with ten moles of petrochemical ethylene oxide to build the ether chain.

In plain English

An emulsifying and cleansing ingredient made by combining a coconut/palm-derived fatty alcohol with ethylene oxide. It helps blend water and oil in cleansers and creams.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-dodecyl-.omega.-hydroxy-; Dodecan-1-ol, 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. 2LAURETH-10. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3LAURETH-10. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=LAURETH-10