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

Is PEG-20 Glyceryl Oleate natural?

Mostly not. Glycerin and oleic acid both trace to natural vegetable oils; the twenty ethylene-oxide units extending the ester are petrochemical.

INCI namePEG-20 Glyceryl Oleate
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockGlycerin and oleic acid (common in olive, sunflower…

How we scored it

Glycerin(92)+oleic acid(265, natural)=358 Da; +20 EO x44.05=881 Da petrochemical minus 1 Da ester H; total 1238 Da. 358/1238=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

Glycerin and oleic acid (common in olive, sunflower and other vegetable oils) are natural feedstocks, esterified and then reacted with petrochemical ethylene oxide.

In plain English

An emulsifying cleanser made from glycerin and oleic acid, a fatty acid common in olive and other vegetable oils, reacted with petroleum-based ethylene oxide.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.,.alpha.',.alpha.''-1,2,3-propanetriyltris-.omega.-hydroxy-, mono-9-(Z)-octadecenoate (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 OLEATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-20 GLYCERYL OLEATE. 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%20OLEATE