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

Is PEG-20 Evening Primrose Glycerides natural?

Mostly not. The evening primrose oil glycerides are natural; the ethylene-oxide chain is petrochemical.

INCI namePEG-20 Evening Primrose Glycerides
CAS124046-44-2
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockEvening primrose oil glycerides ethoxylated with about 20…

How we scored it

Evening primrose mono/diglycerides taken as glyceryl linoleate C21H38O4 354.5 Da (natural) + 20 EO 881.1 Da (petrochemical) = 1235.6 Da → 0.29. Same method as PEG-60 Almond Glycerides.
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

Evening primrose oil glycerides ethoxylated with about 20 mol of ethylene oxide.

In plain English

Evening primrose oil chemically modified with a synthetic polyethylene glycol chain, used as an emulsifier to blend oil and water in cosmetics.

CosIng definition: Mono- and diglycerides, evening primrose (Oenethera biennis) 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 EVENING PRIMROSE GLYCERIDES. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-20 EVENING PRIMROSE 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%20EVENING%20PRIMROSE%20GLYCERIDES