Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/PEG-2 Distearate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is PEG-2 Distearate natural?

Mostly. Both fatty acyl chains are oleochemical stearic acid; only the short diethylene-glycol bridge is petrochemical ethylene oxide.

INCI namePEG-2 Distearate
CAS109-30-8
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockStearic acid, typically from palm oil or tallow,…

How we scored it

2x stearoyl (oleochemical C18) 535.0 Da natural + diethylene glycol spacer 104.1 Da petrochemical (2 EO units); 535.0/639.0=0.84.
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

Stearic acid, typically from palm oil or tallow, is diesterified onto diethylene glycol (two ethylene-oxide units) made from petrochemical ethylene. The two large fatty chains dominate the mass.

In plain English

An emulsifier that helps blend oil and water in creams. It pairs two stearic acid molecules, from vegetable oil or tallow, with a small lab-made glycol linker.

CosIng definition: Oxydiethane-1,2-diyl distearate

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-2 DISTEARATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-2 DISTEARATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-2%20DISTEARATE