How we scored it
Where it comes from
Oleyl alcohol, derived from vegetable oils such as palm or olive, is ethoxylated with ethylene oxide from petrochemical sources to give a water-dispersible surfactant.
In plain English
Oleyl alcohol, a fatty alcohol from natural oils, reacted with a long chain of ethylene oxide (a petrochemical building block) to make it water-soluble. Works as a mild cleansing ingredient in wash-off products.
CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-9-(Z)-octadecenyl-.omega.-hydroxy (23 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-23. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 3OLETH-23. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=OLETH-23