Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/PEG-30 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is PEG-30 Hydrogenated Castor Oil natural?

Mostly not. Natural hydrogenated castor oil backbone ethoxylated with 30 mol petrochemical ethylene oxide.

INCI namePEG-30 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
CAS61788-85-0
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockMade by hydrogenating natural castor oil (Ricinus communis…

How we scored it

Hydrogenated castor oil 939.5 Da (natural) + 30x ethylene oxide 44.05 Da = 1321.5 Da (petrochemical) -> 939.5/2261.0=0.42.
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 hydrogenating natural castor oil (Ricinus communis seed oil) then reacting it with 30 moles of petrochemical ethylene oxide to build the PEG chain. No bio-based ethoxylation route is in commercial use.

In plain English

A gentle emulsifier made by reacting hydrogenated castor oil with a petroleum-derived chemical, helping oil and water mix smoothly in creams and cleansers.

CosIng definition: Castor oil (Ricinus communis), hydrogenated, ethoxylated (30 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-30 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-30 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-30%20HYDROGENATED%20CASTOR%20OIL