Is PEG-15 Tallow Amine natural? NOI 0.27

Q: Is PEG-15 Tallow Amine natural?

PEG-15 Tallow Amine has a Natural Origin Index (NOI) of 0.27 (scale 0–1) per ISO 16128. Ethoxylated fatty amine. The tallow alkyl chain is natural; the amine nitrogen comes from synthetic ammonia and the 15 ethylene-oxide units are petrochemical, as on the site's p… An NOI of 0.27 means 27% of its molecular mass is traceable to a natural, renewable source.

How we scored it

Tallow alkyl (oleyl proxy, the main tallow chain) chain C18H35 251.5 Da (natural) ; nitrogen 14.0 Da (synthetic ammonia, petrochemical as for the parent fatty amine) + 15×EO 660.8 Da + 2 terminal H (petrochemical ethylene oxide); total 928.3 Da → 251.5/928.3 = 0.27.

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

Tallow fatty amine (fatty nitrile hydrogenated with ammonia-derived nitrogen) reacted with about 15 mol of ethylene oxide.

In plain English

An antistatic ingredient made from animal-fat-derived fatty amine combined with a petroleum-derived ethylene oxide chain. Used to reduce static build-up in hair and other products.

CosIng definition: Tallow amines, ethoxylated (15 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-15 TALLOW AMINE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
3PEG-15 TALLOW AMINE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-15%20TALLOW%20AMINE