Database/Cleansing Surfactant/PEG-120 Stearate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is PEG-120 Stearate natural?

Mostly not. Polyethylene glycol ester of stearic acid. The fatty-acid chain is natural; the 120-unit ethylene-oxide chain is petrochemical.

INCI namePEG-120 Stearate
CAS9004-99-3
FunctionCleansing Surfactant
FeedstockVegetable or tallow stearic acid esterified or ethoxylated…

How we scored it

PEG-120 Stearate: stearoyl fragment C18H35O 267.5 Da (natural) of stearic acid 284.5 Da + 120 EO 5286.4 Da = 5570.8 Da → 0.05. The ester oxygen and chain-end hydrogen go with the PEG chain, as for PEG-8 Laurate.
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 or tallow stearic acid esterified or ethoxylated with about 120 mol of ethylene oxide.

In plain English

A cleansing surfactant made from stearic acid (from fats) joined to a very long chain of 120 petrochemical ethylene-oxide units. Nearly all its weight is the synthetic chain.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-(1-oxooctadecyl)-.omega.-hydroxy- (120 mol EO average molar ratio)

Natural alternatives with the same function

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 C10-16 Alkyl Glucoside 100% natural origin

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 C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside 100% natural origin

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 C18-36 Acid 100% natural origin

A blend of long-chain plant fatty acids used as a mild cleanser and thickener, giving body and a…

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 STEARATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-120 STEARATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-120%20STEARATE