Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/Myreth-5
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Myreth-5 natural?

Mostly not. Myristyl alcohol is natural; the larger ethylene oxide chain (5 EO average) is petrochemical and now makes up just over half the mass.

INCI nameMyreth-5
CAS27306-79-2
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockMyristyl alcohol from coconut or palm kernel oil…

How we scored it

Name implies 5 mol EO average (given formula/IUPAC represents only the n=1 homolog, a data mismatch, noted): tetradecanol 214.4 Da (natural) + 5xEO 220.3 Da (petrochemical) = 214.4/434.6 = 0.49
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

Myristyl alcohol from coconut or palm kernel oil is ethoxylated with petrochemical ethylene oxide to the degree implied by the INCI name.

In plain English

Myristyl alcohol, a fatty alcohol from coconut or palm kernel oil, reacted with several units of ethylene oxide (a petrochemical building block) to make it more water-soluble. Used as a mild surfactant.

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

Natural alternatives with the same function

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 C10-16 Alkyl Glucoside 100% natural origin

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 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-5. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3MYRETH-5. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=MYRETH-5