Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/Myreth-3
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Myreth-3 natural?

Mostly. Natural C14 myristyl alcohol chain is etherified with three petrochemical ethylene-oxide units, which form a minority of the mass.

INCI nameMyreth-3
CAS27306-79-2
FormulaC20H42O4 · 346.5 Da
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockOleochemical myristyl alcohol (coconut/palm-kernel derived) is ethoxylated with…

How we scored it

Myristyl (natural fatty alcohol) minus H = 213.4 Da / total [myristyl 214.4+3×EO 132.2=346.6] Da = 0.62; given formula/IUPAC matches this structure.
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

Oleochemical myristyl alcohol (coconut/palm-kernel derived) is ethoxylated with petrochemical ethylene oxide to give a 3-mol EO ether. The short EO chain keeps most mass natural.

In plain English

A mild emulsifier and thickener used in cleansers and lotions. A natural coconut- or palm-derived fatty alcohol is combined with a short chain of petroleum-derived ethylene oxide.

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

Natural alternatives with the same function

Structure

2D structure of Myreth-3

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

PubChem CID 3015324 ↗

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-3. PubChem CID 3015324. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3MYRETH-3. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4MYRETH-3. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=MYRETH-3