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

Is PEG-20 Glyceryl Laurate natural?

Mostly not. Glycerin and lauric acid are both natural coconut-derived feedstocks; the twenty ethylene-oxide units extending the ester are petrochemical.

INCI namePEG-20 Glyceryl Laurate
CAS59070-56-3
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockGlycerin and lauric acid (from coconut or palm…

How we scored it

Glycerin(92)+lauric acid(183, natural)=275 Da; +20 EO x44.05=881 Da petrochemical minus 1 Da ester H; total 1155 Da. 275/1155=0.24.
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

Glycerin and lauric acid (from coconut or palm kernel oil) are natural oleochemical feedstocks, esterified and then reacted with petrochemical ethylene oxide. No significant alternative route exists.

In plain English

An emulsifying cleanser made from glycerin and lauric acid, a coconut-derived fatty acid, reacted with petroleum-based ethylene oxide.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.,.alpha.',.alpha.''-1,2,3-propanetriyltris-.omega.-hydroxy-, monododecanoate (20 mol EO average molar ratio)

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