Database/Humectant/Methyl Gluceth-20
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Methyl Gluceth-20 natural?

Mostly not. Only the glucose ring is natural; the methanol-derived cap and 20 ethylene-oxide units are petrochemical.

INCI nameMethyl Gluceth-20
CAS68239-42-9
FormulaC15H30O10 · 370.39 Da
FunctionHumectant · Moisturising
FeedstockMade by reacting glucose with methanol to form…

How we scored it

Glucose C6H11O6 179 Da (natural) + methyl CH3 15 Da (petrochemical) + 20 x C2H4O EO 881 Da (petrochemical) = 1075 Da; 179/1075 = 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.

How it’s made

Fischer glycosidation of glucose with methanol (ethoxylation named). The film draws the key step and names the steps after it. Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the score above.

Where it comes from

Made by reacting glucose with methanol to form methyl glucoside, then ethoxylating with 20 moles of petrochemical ethylene oxide. The long EO chain dominates the final mass.

In plain English

A humectant that helps skin retain moisture, made from corn-derived glucose linked to methanol and a long chain of ethylene oxide units. Most of its weight comes from the ethylene oxide, not the sugar.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-hydro-.omega.-hydroxy-, ether with methyl .beta.-d-glucopyranoside (4:1)

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Structure

2D structure of Methyl Gluceth-20

2-[[(2R,6R)-3,4,5-tris(2-hydroxyethoxy)-6-methoxyoxan-2-yl]methoxy]ethanol

PubChem CID 62247 ↗

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. 2Methyl Gluceth-20. PubChem CID 62247. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3METHYL GLUCETH-20. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4METHYL GLUCETH-20. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=METHYL%20GLUCETH-20