How we scored it
Where it comes from
Made by ethoxylating lauric acid (from coconut or palm kernel oil) with 20 moles of petrochemical ethylene oxide. No major alternative route.
In plain English
A mild cleansing and emulsifying ingredient made by reacting coconut-derived lauric acid with a long chain of ethylene oxide. Most of its weight comes from the petroleum-based portion.
CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-(1-oxododecyl)-.omega.-hydroxy- (20 mol EO average molar ratio)
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References
- 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.
- 2PEG-20 LAURATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 3PEG-20 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%20LAURATE