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

Is PEG-20 Glyceryl Stearate natural?

Mostly not. The glyceryl stearate core is oleochemical; the 20 ethylene-oxide units that make it water-dispersible are petrochemical and account for most of the mass.

INCI namePEG-20 Glyceryl Stearate
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockGlyceryl stearate ethoxylated with 20 mol petrochemical ethylene…

How we scored it

Glyceryl stearate 359 Da (vegetable glycerin + palm stearic acid, natural) + 20 mol ethylene oxide 881 Da (petrochemical) → 359 / 1240 = 0.29. The INCI name fixes the EO count at 20.
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

Glyceryl stearate ethoxylated with 20 mol petrochemical ethylene oxide.

In plain English

An emulsifier that blends oil and water in creams and lotions, made from vegetable glycerin and stearic acid reacted with a petroleum-derived glycol chain. Roughly half its weight is plant-derived, half is synthetic.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.,.alpha.',.alpha.''-1,2,3-propanetriyltris-.omega.-hydroxy-, monooctadecanoate (10mol 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 GLYCERYL STEARATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-20 GLYCERYL STEARATE. 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%20STEARATE