How we scored it
Where it comes from
Made by ethoxylating oleochemical oleyl alcohol (from vegetable/animal fat splitting) with petroleum-derived ethylene oxide. Oleyl alcohol can rarely be petrochemical (Ziegler/oxo route); cosmetic grade is typically oleochemical.
In plain English
A cleansing and emulsifying ingredient made by reacting oleyl alcohol, derived from natural fats and oils, with ethylene oxide, a petroleum-based building block. Helps oils and water mix in creams and cleansers.
CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-9-(Z)-octadecenyl-.omega.-hydroxy (16 mol EO average molar ratio)
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References
- 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.
- 2OLETH-16. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 3OLETH-16. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=OLETH-16