Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/PEG-25 Phytosterol
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is PEG-25 Phytosterol natural?

Mostly not. Plant sterol fragment is natural; the extensive, 25 mol, ethylene oxide chain is petrochemical and dominates the molecule's mass.

INCI namePEG-25 Phytosterol
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockVegetable phytosterols ethoxylated with 25 mol ethylene oxide.…

How we scored it

Phytosterol (~415Da, natural) + 25 EO (petrochemical, 1101Da). 415/1516=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

Vegetable phytosterols ethoxylated with 25 mol ethylene oxide. No natural substitute exists for the ethoxylate chain.

In plain English

An emulsifier made from plant sterols reacted with a substantial amount of ethylene oxide, a petrochemical, to help blend oil and water in formulations.

CosIng definition: PEG-25 Phytosterol is the polyethylene glycol ether of Phytosterols with an average ethoxylation value of 25.

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-25 PHYTOSTEROL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-25 PHYTOSTEROL. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-25%20PHYTOSTEROL