Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/PEG-15 Oleate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is PEG-15 Oleate natural?

Mostly not. Oleic acid is a natural vegetable fatty acid; the 15-unit polyethylene glycol chain is petrochemical ethylene oxide.

INCI namePEG-15 Oleate
CAS9004-96-0
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockMade by ethoxylating oleic acid (from vegetable oil)…

How we scored it

Oleic acid 282.5 Da (natural) + 15x44.05 Da ethylene oxide (petrochemical, addition, no water loss) = 282.5/943.3 = 0.30; supplied formula/MW match only the 1-EO adduct, so description's 15 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 oleic acid (from vegetable oil) with 15 moles of ethylene oxide. No natural ethoxylation route exists commercially.

In plain English

An emulsifier made from natural vegetable-derived oleic acid combined with a synthetic ethylene-oxide chain, used to blend oil and water in creams and lotions.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-(1-oxo-9-octadecenyl)-.omega.-hydroxy-, (Z)- (15 mol EO average molar ratio)

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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 OLEATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-15 OLEATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-15%20OLEATE