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

Is PEG-20 Cocamide natural?

Mostly not. Coco fatty acid is natural; heavy ethoxylation with ethylene oxide makes petrochemical mass dominant.

INCI namePEG-20 Cocamide
CAS68425-44-5
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockMade by heavily ethoxylating coconut-fatty-acid monoethanolamide with around…

How we scored it

Lauroyl 183 Da natural + ethanolamine core 60 Da + 19 EO units 836 Da petrochemical; 183/1079 = 0.17.
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 heavily ethoxylating coconut-fatty-acid monoethanolamide with around 19 moles of ethylene oxide per mole. Coconut oil supplies the fatty acid; the rest is petrochemical.

In plain English

An emulsifying ingredient made by heavily reacting coconut fatty acid amide with ethylene oxide. Helps blend water and oil in creams and lotions.

CosIng definition: Amides, coco alkyl, N-(hydroxyethyl), ethoxylated (19 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 COCAMIDE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-20 COCAMIDE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-20%20COCAMIDE