Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/PEG-15 Castor Oil
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is PEG-15 Castor Oil natural?

Mostly. Castor bean oil (natural triglyceride) is ethoxylated with 15 units of petrochemical ethylene oxide.

INCI namePEG-15 Castor Oil
CAS61791-12-6
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockMade by reacting castor oil, pressed from castor…

How we scored it

Castor oil triglyceride ~933Da natural + 15x C2H4O (44Da)=660Da petrochemical EO. 933/1593=0.59 (same method as PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, 0.35).
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 reacting castor oil, pressed from castor beans (Ricinus communis), with 15 moles of ethylene oxide derived from petrochemical ethylene. No alternative route in common use.

In plain English

A mild cleansing and emulsifying ingredient made from castor bean oil reacted with a petroleum-derived chain to make it water-soluble.

CosIng definition: Castor oil, ethoxylated (15 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-15 CASTOR OIL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-15 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-15%20CASTOR%20OIL