Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/PEG-27 Lanolin
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is PEG-27 Lanolin natural?

Mostly not. Natural lanolin wax core is diluted by a moderate petrochemical ethylene-oxide chain added for water solubility.

INCI namePEG-27 Lanolin
CAS61790-81-6
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockPEG-27 Lanolin is lanolin, the natural wax from…

How we scored it

Lanolin (natural, assumed MW~400) + 27 mol ethylene oxide (petrochemical, 27x44.05=1189 Da) → 400/1589 = 0.25
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-27 Lanolin is lanolin, the natural wax from sheep's wool, reacted with about 27 moles of petrochemical ethylene oxide to make it water-dispersible. About a quarter of the final mass traces to the natural wax.

In plain English

An emollient and emulsifier made from sheep's-wool wax that has been chemically modified with a petroleum-derived ingredient so it blends more easily into water-based products.

CosIng definition: Lanolin, ethoxylated (27 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-27 LANOLIN. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-27 LANOLIN. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-27%20LANOLIN