Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/PEG-3 Oleate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is PEG-3 Oleate natural?

Mostly. Polyethylene glycol ester of oleic acid. The fatty-acid chain is natural; the 3-unit ethylene-oxide chain is petrochemical.

INCI namePEG-3 Oleate
CAS9004-96-0
FormulaC24H46O5 · 414.6 Da
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockOleic acid esterified or ethoxylated with about 3…

How we scored it

PEG-3 Oleate: oleoyl fragment C18H33O 265.5 Da (natural) of oleic acid 282.5 Da + 3 EO 132.2 Da = 414.6 Da → 0.64. The ester oxygen and chain-end hydrogen are counted with the PEG chain, as for PEG-8 Laurate and PEG-8 Oleate.
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

Oleic acid esterified or ethoxylated with about 3 mol of ethylene oxide.

In plain English

An emulsifier made from plant-derived oleic acid reacted with a few units of ethylene oxide. Helps oil and water mix in cosmetic formulas.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-(1-oxo-9-(Z)-octadecenoate-.omega.-hydroxy- (3 mol EO average molar ratio)

Natural alternatives with the same function

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 C10-16 Alkyl Glucoside 100% natural origin

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 C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside 100% natural origin

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 C18-36 Acid 100% natural origin

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Structure

2D structure of PEG-3 Oleate

2-[2-(2-hydroxyethoxy)ethoxy]ethyl (Z)-octadec-9-enoate

PubChem CID 6436364 ↗

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-3 Oleate. PubChem CID 6436364. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3PEG-3 OLEATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4PEG-3 OLEATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-3%20OLEATE