Database/Antistatic/Laureth-4
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Laureth-4 natural?

Mostly. Coconut-derived lauryl alcohol is natural; the four ethylene-oxide units added to it are petrochemical.

INCI nameLaureth-4
CAS5274-68-0
FormulaC20H42O5 · 362.5 Da
FunctionAntistatic · Emulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockMade by ethoxylating lauryl alcohol, typically from coconut…

How we scored it

Lauryl alcohol (C12 oleochemical, natural) 186 + 4x ethylene oxide (petrochemical) 176 -> 186/363 = 0.51
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.

How it’s made

Base-catalysed ethoxylation. Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the score above.

Where it comes from

Made by ethoxylating lauryl alcohol, typically from coconut oil, with four units of petrochemical ethylene oxide. The natural fatty alcohol still makes up just over half the mass.

In plain English

A mild surfactant and emulsifier used in cleansers. It combines coconut-derived lauryl alcohol with a short synthetic ethylene oxide chain, giving a roughly even natural-to-synthetic split.

CosIng definition: 3,6,9,12-tetraoxatetracosan-1-ol; Dodecan-1-ol, ethoxylated; Alcohols, C12-14, ethoxylated

Natural alternatives with the same function

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Structure

2D structure of Laureth-4

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

PubChem CID 78933 ↗

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-4. PubChem CID 78933. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3LAURETH-4. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4LAURETH-4. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=LAURETH-4