Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/PEG-2 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is PEG-2 Hydrogenated Castor Oil natural?

Mostly. Hydrogenated castor oil backbone is natural; only two ethylene-oxide units added are petrochemical.

INCI namePEG-2 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
CAS61788-85-0
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockProduced by hydrogenating castor oil from Ricinus communis…

How we scored it

Hydrogenated castor oil ~939 Da (natural glyceryl trihydroxystearate) + 2 EO ~88 Da (petrochemical) = 1028 Da; 939/1028=0.91.
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

Produced by hydrogenating castor oil from Ricinus communis seeds, then reacting it with a small amount of petrochemical ethylene oxide (2 mol). The castor oil triglyceride supplies most of the mass.

In plain English

An emulsifier made from castor bean oil that has been hardened and lightly treated with ethylene oxide. Helps blend oil and water in creams and lotions.

CosIng definition: Castor oil (Ricinus communis), hydrogenated, ethoxylated (2 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-2 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-2 HYDROGENATED 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-2%20HYDROGENATED%20CASTOR%20OIL