Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/PEG-24 Lanolin
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is PEG-24 Lanolin natural?

Mostly not. Natural wool-wax lanolin core is diluted by a long petrochemical ethylene-oxide chain grafted on for solubility.

INCI namePEG-24 Lanolin
CAS61790-81-6
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockMade by reacting sheep wool wax (lanolin) with…

How we scored it

Lanolin core (~400 Da, natural wax) + 24 EO x44=1056 Da petrochemical; 400/1456=0.27.
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 reacting sheep wool wax (lanolin) with ethylene oxide derived from petrochemical ethylene. Lanolin itself has no alternative source.

In plain English

A wool-wax (lanolin) derivative reacted with ethylene oxide to make it water-soluble; used as an emulsifier in creams and lotions.

CosIng definition: Lanolin, ethoxylated (24 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-24 LANOLIN. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-24 LANOLIN. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-24%20LANOLIN