Database/Cleansing/Laureth-2
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Laureth-2 natural?

Mostly. Cosmetic-grade C12-14 fatty alcohol is assumed oleochemical; the 2 mol ethylene oxide chain is petrochemical.

INCI nameLaureth-2
CAS3055-93-4
FormulaC16H34O3 · 274.44 Da
FunctionCleansing · Emulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockMade by ethoxylating coconut/palm-kernel-derived lauryl alcohol with 2…

How we scored it

Lauryl alcohol C12H26O 186 Da (oleochemical) + 2 EO C2H4O 88 Da (petrochemical, ethylene oxide addition, no mass lost) = 274 Da total; 186/274 = 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

Made by ethoxylating coconut/palm-kernel-derived lauryl alcohol with 2 moles of petrochemical ethylene oxide. Some fatty alcohol supply is instead synthetic (Ziegler/oxo process) - check supplier certificate.

In plain English

A cleansing and emulsifying ingredient made by reacting coconut- or palm-derived fatty alcohol with ethylene oxide. Helps oil and water mix together and lifts away dirt in cleansers.

CosIng definition: Alcohols, C12-14, ethoxylated

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Structure

2D structure of Laureth-2

2-(2-dodecoxyethoxy)ethanol

PubChem CID 76457 ↗

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-2. PubChem CID 76457. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3LAURETH-2. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4LAURETH-2. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=LAURETH-2