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

Is PEG-20 Dilaurate natural?

Mostly not. Polyethylene glycol diester of lauric acid. Both fatty-acid chains are natural; the 20-unit ethylene-oxide chain is petrochemical.

INCI namePEG-20 Dilaurate
CAS9005-02-1
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockCoconut or palm-kernel lauric acid esterified at both…

How we scored it

PEG-20 Dilaurate: two lauroyl fragments 2×C12H23O 366.6 Da (natural) on a PEG-20 chain; PEG-20 899.1 Da + 2×lauric acid 400.6 Da − 2 H2O = 1263.7 Da → 0.29. The ester oxygens go with the PEG chain, as for PEG-4 Dilaurate.
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

Coconut or palm-kernel lauric acid esterified at both ends of polyethylene glycol (about 20 ethylene-oxide units).

In plain English

An emulsifier made from coconut-derived lauric acid attached to both ends of a longer lab-made polyethylene glycol chain. It helps blend oil and water in a formula.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-(1-oxododecyl)-.omega.-[(1-oxododecyl)oxy]- (20 mol EO average molar ratio)

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 C10-16 Alkyl Glucoside 100% natural origin

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