How we scored it
Where it comes from
Made by ethoxylating oleochemical oleyl alcohol with petroleum-derived ethylene oxide. Cosmetic-grade oleyl alcohol is typically oleochemical rather than petrochemical Ziegler/oxo-derived.
In plain English
A surfactant made from oleyl alcohol (from natural fats) combined with 25 units of ethylene oxide, a petroleum-derived building block. Used to help clean and disperse oils on skin or hair.
CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-9-(Z)-octadecenyl-.omega.-hydroxy (25 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-25. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 3OLETH-25. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=OLETH-25