Database/Emollient/PEG-20 Methyl Glucose Distearate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is PEG-20 Methyl Glucose Distearate natural?

Mostly not. Natural methyl-glucose-distearate core is diluted by 20 ethylene-oxide units from petrochemical feedstock, roughly matching the natural fragment's mass.

INCI namePEG-20 Methyl Glucose Distearate
CAS119831-19-5
FunctionEmollient · Emulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockMade by esterifying methyl glucoside, from corn glucose,…

How we scored it

Methyl glucoside + 2 stearate core approx 727 Da (natural) + 20 EO x 44 Da approx 881 Da (petrochemical) = approx 1608 Da total; 727/1608 = 0.45.
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

Made by esterifying methyl glucoside, from corn glucose, with two stearic acid molecules from vegetable or animal fat, then reacting with petrochemical ethylene oxide, 20 mol. Degree of substitution on the glucose core is estimated from the CosIng description.

In plain English

An emollient and emulsifier that softens skin and blends oil and water in creams. It combines corn sugar and stearic acid from fats with a petroleum-derived ingredient, ethylene oxide, added during manufacturing.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-hydro-.omega.-hydroxy-, ether with methyl d-glucopyranoside (4:1), dioctadecanoate (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 METHYL GLUCOSE DISTEARATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-20 METHYL GLUCOSE DISTEARATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-20%20METHYL%20GLUCOSE%20DISTEARATE