Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/PEG-100 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is PEG-100 Hydrogenated Castor Oil natural?

Mostly not. Natural castor oil backbone carries a very long 100-mol petrochemical ethylene oxide chain, so petrochemical mass dominates heavily.

INCI namePEG-100 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
CAS61788-85-0
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockHydrogenated natural castor oil is ethoxylated with 100…

How we scored it

Hydrogenated castor oil 939.5 Da (natural) + 100x EO 44.05 Da = 4405.3 Da (petrochemical) -> 939.5/5344.8=0.18.
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

Hydrogenated natural castor oil is ethoxylated with 100 moles of petrochemical ethylene oxide, the longest chain in this PEG-castor-oil family. No bio-based ethoxylating agent is used commercially.

In plain English

A mild solubiliser made from hydrogenated castor oil with a very long petroleum-derived chain, used to help fragrance or oils dissolve into water-based products.

CosIng definition: Castor oil (Ricinus communis), hydrogenated, ethoxylated (100 mol EO average molar ratio)

Natural alternatives with the same function

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-100 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-100 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-100%20HYDROGENATED%20CASTOR%20OIL