Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/Methyl Glucose Isostearate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Methyl Glucose Isostearate natural?

Mostly. Built from natural glucose and oleochemical branched-C18 fatty acid; only the small methanol-derived methyl group is petrochemical.

INCI nameMethyl Glucose Isostearate
CAS206451-21-0
FormulaC25H48O7 · 460.6 Da
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Skin Conditioning
FeedstockMade by esterifying methyl glucoside (corn glucose plus…

How we scored it

Methyl glucoside (194 Da, natural) esterified with isostearic acid (284 Da, oleochemical) minus H2O → C25H48O7 461 Da; only the methanol-derived methyl carbon (~14 Da) is petrochemical → 447/461 = 0.97.
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 esterifying methyl glucoside (corn glucose plus methanol) with isostearic acid derived from vegetable oleic acid isomerisation. No alternative commercial route is significant.

In plain English

An emulsifier made from corn sugar and a branched vegetable-derived fatty acid. It helps blend oil and water in creams and lotions, and is almost entirely plant/oleochemical in origin.

CosIng definition: D-Glucopyranoside, methyl, isooctadecanoate

Natural alternatives with the same function

Arachidic Acid 100% natural origin

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 Arachidyl Glucoside 100% natural origin

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 Behenic Acid 100% natural origin

A long-chain fatty acid from vegetable oil, used to thicken and stabilise creams and conditioners. It is extracted…

 C10-16 Alkyl Glucoside 100% natural origin

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 C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside 100% natural origin

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 C18-36 Acid 100% natural origin

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Structure

2D structure of Methyl Glucose Isostearate

[(2R,3S,4S,5R)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-methoxyoxan-2-yl]methyl 16-methylheptadecanoate

PubChem CID 133065430 ↗

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 Glucose Isostearate. PubChem CID 133065430. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3METHYL GLUCOSE ISOSTEARATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4METHYL GLUCOSE ISOSTEARATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=METHYL%20GLUCOSE%20ISOSTEARATE