Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/PEG-25 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is PEG-25 Hydrogenated Castor Oil natural?

Mostly not. The castor oil core is hydrogenated but still plant-derived; the 25-unit ethylene-oxide chain grafted onto its free hydroxyls is petrochemical.

INCI namePEG-25 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
CAS61788-85-0
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockPEG-25 Hydrogenated Castor Oil is made by hydrogenating…

How we scored it

Hydrogenated castor oil triglyceride (natural, ~939.5 Da) + 25 EO (petrochemical, 1101.3 Da). 939.5/2040.7 = 0.46.
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

PEG-25 Hydrogenated Castor Oil is made by hydrogenating castor oil (keeping its plant-derived triglyceride structure) then reacting its free hydroxyl groups with petrochemical ethylene oxide. Both fragments are significant, giving a roughly even split.

In plain English

A mild emulsifier used to solubilise oils and fragrance in water-based products. It starts from castor oil, a plant oil, reacted with a petroleum-derived glycol chain; about half its weight comes from each.

CosIng definition: Castor oil (Ricinus communis), hydrogenated, ethoxylated (25 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-25 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-25 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-25%20HYDROGENATED%20CASTOR%20OIL