Is PEG-14 Stearate natural? NOI 0.32

Q: Is PEG-14 Stearate natural?

PEG-14 Stearate has a Natural Origin Index (NOI) of 0.32 (scale 0–1) per ISO 16128. Natural stearic acid backbone diluted by a shorter 14-unit petrochemical polyethylene glycol chain. An NOI of 0.32 means 32% of its molecular mass is traceable to a natural, renewable source.

How we scored it

Stearic acid 284.5 Da (natural) + 14x44.05 Da ethylene oxide (petrochemical) = 284.5/901.2 = 0.32; supplied formula/MW match only the 1-EO adduct, so description's 14 mol EO was used.

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

Made by ethoxylating stearic acid (vegetable oil-derived) with 14 moles of ethylene oxide. No natural ethoxylation route exists.

In plain English

An emulsifier made from natural stearic acid, a vegetable fat, combined with a short synthetic ethylene-oxide chain.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-(1-oxooctadecyl)-.omega.-hydroxy- (14 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.
2PEG-14 STEARATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
3PEG-14 STEARATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-14%20STEARATE