Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/Laureth-8
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Laureth-8 natural?

Mostly not. The lauryl chain is natural, but the eight ethylene-oxide units are the larger, petrochemical share of the molecule.

INCI nameLaureth-8
CAS9002-92-0
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockMade by ethoxylating coconut- or palm-kernel-derived lauryl alcohol…

How we scored it

Lauryl (natural, 185.3 Da) + 8x ethylene oxide (petrochemical, 352.4 Da) -> 185.3/538.7=0.34.
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- or palm-kernel-derived lauryl alcohol with 8 units of petrochemical ethylene oxide. The EO chain contributes about two-thirds of the total mass.

In plain English

An emulsifying and cleansing ingredient made from coconut-derived lauryl alcohol reacted with ethylene oxide. It helps blend oil and water and creates foam in cleansers.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-dodecyl-.omega.-hydroxy-

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-8. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3LAURETH-8. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=LAURETH-8