Database/Cleansing/PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Trioleate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Trioleate natural?

Mostly not. Glucose core and oleic acid esters are plant-derived; the very long PEG-120 chain is petrochemical ethylene oxide and dominates the mass.

INCI namePEG-120 Methyl Glucose Trioleate
FunctionCleansing · Emollient
FeedstockBuilt from methyl glucoside (corn glucose) esterified with…

How we scored it

Methyl glucoside core 194Da + 3 oleate esters (3x265=796Da) natural = 990Da; PEG-120 chain 120x44=5286Da petrochemical (ethylene oxide) -> 990/6277 = 0.16
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

Built from methyl glucoside (corn glucose) esterified with oleic acid (vegetable oil) then reacted with 120 moles of ethylene oxide. The long petrochemical PEG chain makes up most of the molecule's weight.

In plain English

A mild cleansing and thickening ingredient combining plant sugar and vegetable oleic acid with a long synthetic ethylene oxide chain, used in cleansers and lotions.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-hydro-.omega.-hydroxy-, ether with methyl d-glucopyranoside-tris[(Z)-9-octadecenoate], (120 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-120 METHYL GLUCOSE TRIOLEATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-120 METHYL GLUCOSE TRIOLEATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-120%20METHYL%20GLUCOSE%20TRIOLEATE