Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/PEG-10 Phytosterol
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is PEG-10 Phytosterol natural?

Mostly not. Plant sterol backbone is natural; the longer ethylene oxide chain is petrochemical and now exceeds half the molecule's mass.

INCI namePEG-10 Phytosterol
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockVegetable phytosterols ethoxylated with 10 mol ethylene oxide.…

How we scored it

Phytosterol (~415Da, natural) + 10 EO (petrochemical, 440Da). 415/855=0.48.
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

Vegetable phytosterols ethoxylated with 10 mol ethylene oxide. No natural substitute exists for the ethoxylate chain.

In plain English

An emulsifier made from plant sterols reacted with ethylene oxide, a petrochemical, to help oil and water mix in creams and lotions.

CosIng definition: (3-.beta.)-Sigmast-5-en-3-ol, ethoxylated (10 mol EO average molar ratio)

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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. 2PEG-10 PHYTOSTEROL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-10 PHYTOSTEROL. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-10%20PHYTOSTEROL