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

Is PEG-20 Soy Sterol natural?

Mostly not. Soybean phytosterols are plant-derived; the 20 ethylene oxide units are petrochemical.

INCI namePEG-20 Soy Sterol
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockMade by ethoxylating a mixture of soybean sterols…

How we scored it

Soy sterol (avg ~415 Da, natural phytosterol) + 20 EO×44=881 petrochemical; 415/1296=0.32.
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 ethoxylating a mixture of soybean sterols (sitosterol, campesterol, stigmasterol) with petrochemical ethylene oxide. No alternative commercial route.

In plain English

An emulsifier made from soybean plant sterols reacted with a synthetic petrochemical chain, used to blend oil and water in creams.

CosIng definition: Sterols, soya (Glycine soja), ethoxylated (20 mol 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 SOY STEROL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-20 SOY STEROL. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-20%20SOY%20STEROL