Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/Laureth-12
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Laureth-12 natural?

Mostly not. Lauryl alcohol is oleochemical, from coconut or palm, but the twelve ethoxylate units are petrochemical, diluting the natural fraction sharply.

INCI nameLaureth-12
CAS3056-00-6
FormulaC36H74O13 · 715.0 Da
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockMade by reacting lauryl alcohol, typically from coconut…

How we scored it

Lauryl alcohol C12H26O 186Da (natural, oleochemical) + 12x ethylene oxide 44.05Da = 528.6Da (petrochemical) = 714.9Da total. 186/715 ≈ 0.26.
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

Made by reacting lauryl alcohol, typically from coconut or palm kernel oil, with twelve moles of petrochemical ethylene oxide. A minority of lauryl alcohol supply is petrochemical Ziegler-process material.

In plain English

A mild cleansing and emulsifying surfactant used in shampoos and washes. It is made by reacting lauryl alcohol, typically from coconut or palm oil, with twelve units of ethylene oxide, a petrochemical.

Natural alternatives with the same function

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 C10-16 Alkyl Glucoside 100% natural origin

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 C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside 100% natural origin

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 C18-36 Acid 100% natural origin

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Structure

2D structure of Laureth-12

2-[2-[2-[2-[2-[2-[2-[2-[2-[2-[2-(2-dodecoxyethoxy)ethoxy]ethoxy]ethoxy]ethoxy]ethoxy]ethoxy]ethoxy]ethoxy]ethoxy]ethoxy]ethanol

PubChem CID 76460 ↗

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-12. PubChem CID 76460. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3LAURETH-12. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4LAURETH-12. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=LAURETH-12