Database/Cleansing/Laureth-21
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Laureth-21 natural?

Mostly not. Coconut-derived lauryl alcohol ethoxylated with 21 petrochemical ethylene-oxide units; the long EO chain dominates molecular mass.

INCI nameLaureth-21
CAS9002-92-0
FunctionCleansing · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockLaureth-21 is made by reacting lauryl alcohol, from…

How we scored it

Lauryl alcohol (C12H26O, 186.3 Da, natural) + 21 x ethylene oxide (44.05 Da each, petrochemical) = 186.3/1111.4 = 0.17.
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

Laureth-21 is made by reacting lauryl alcohol, from coconut or palm kernel oil, with ethylene oxide, a petrochemical, to give an average 21-unit ethoxylate chain. The EO chain accounts for most of the mass.

In plain English

A cleansing ingredient made by reacting lauryl alcohol, from coconut or palm oil, with a chain of ethylene oxide, a petrochemical. Used in shampoos and cleansers.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-dodecyl-.omega.-hydroxy- (21 mol EO average molar ratio)

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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-21. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3LAURETH-21. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=LAURETH-21