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

Is PEG-20 Lanolin natural?

Mostly not. Lanolin is natural; the polyethylene glycol chain grafted onto it is petrochemical ethylene oxide. The lanolin mass per chain follows the site's PEG-75 Lanolin entry so the series reads consistently.

INCI namePEG-20 Lanolin
CAS61790-81-6
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockWool-grease lanolin ethoxylated with about 20 mol of…

How we scored it

Lanolin taken as about 400 Da per ethoxylated hydroxyl site (the value used for PEG-75 Lanolin; natural, from sheep wool grease) + 20×EO 881.1 Da (petrochemical ethylene oxide) = 1281.1 Da → 400/1281.1 = 0.31.
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

Wool-grease lanolin ethoxylated with about 20 mol of ethylene oxide.

In plain English

An emulsifier from lanolin, the natural wax from sheep's wool, reacted with a synthetic petrochemical chain to help blend oil and water.

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