Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/Myreth-10
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Myreth-10 natural?

Mostly not. Myristyl (C14) fatty alcohol is oleochemical/natural; the ten ethylene oxide units are petrochemical.

INCI nameMyreth-10
CAS27306-79-2
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockMade by ethoxylating coconut/palm-derived myristyl alcohol with about…

How we scored it

Myristyl alcohol 214.4 Da (natural) + 10×EO 440.5 Da (petrochemical) = 654.9 → 0.33. Given formula/mw (258.44) matches only 1 EO; used name's 10 EO.
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/palm-derived myristyl alcohol with about 10 moles of ethylene oxide. Ethylene oxide is a petrochemical building block.

In plain English

An emulsifier used to blend oil and water in creams and lotions. Made by reacting a coconut/palm-derived fatty alcohol with a larger proportion of ethylene oxide, a petroleum-based chemical.

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

Natural alternatives with the same function

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 Behenic Acid 100% natural origin

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 C10-16 Alkyl Glucoside 100% natural origin

A mild, sugar-based cleansing and emulsifying surfactant made by combining plant-derived fatty alcohols (coconut/palm) with glucose from starch.…

 C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside 100% natural origin

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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. 2MYRETH-10. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3MYRETH-10. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=MYRETH-10