Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/PEG-20 Almond Glycerides
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is PEG-20 Almond Glycerides natural?

Mostly not. Natural glycerol-oleic monoglyceride core from almond oil; petrochemical ethylene oxide chain (20 mol) dominates the mass.

INCI namePEG-20 Almond Glycerides
CAS226993-90-4
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockMade by ethoxylating mono/diglycerides of almond oil with…

How we scored it

Monoglyceride (glycerol 92 + oleic acid 282 − water 18 = 356, natural) + 20×EO (44 ea = 881, petrochemical). 356/1237 ≈ 0.29.
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 mono/diglycerides of almond oil with about 20 mol ethylene oxide from petrochemical feedstock. The glyceride core is natural but the long PEG chain carries most of the mass.

In plain English

An emulsifier that blends oil and water in creams and lotions, made from almond oil combined with a petroleum-derived ethylene oxide chain. The almond part is natural; the PEG chain is synthetic.

CosIng definition: Mono- and diglycerides, almond oil, ethoxylated (20 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-20 ALMOND GLYCERIDES. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-20 ALMOND GLYCERIDES. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-20%20ALMOND%20GLYCERIDES