Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/PEG-30 Isostearate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is PEG-30 Isostearate natural?

Mostly not. Polyethylene glycol ester of isostearic acid. The fatty-acid chain is natural; the 30-unit ethylene-oxide chain is petrochemical.

INCI namePEG-30 Isostearate
CAS56002-14-3
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockIsostearic acid from oleic-acid dimerisation (oleochemical) esterified or…

How we scored it

PEG-30 Isostearate: isostearoyl fragment C18H35O 267.5 Da (natural) of isostearic acid 284.5 Da + 30 EO 1321.6 Da = 1606.1 Da → 0.17. The ester oxygen and chain-end hydrogen go with the PEG chain, as for PEG-8 Laurate.
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

Isostearic acid from oleic-acid dimerisation (oleochemical) esterified or ethoxylated with about 30 mol of ethylene oxide.

In plain English

A cleansing and emulsifying ingredient made from a branched fatty acid joined to a long petrochemical ethylene-oxide chain. Most of its weight is petrochemical.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-(1-oxoisooctadecyl)-.omega.-hydroxy- (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 ISOSTEARATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-30 ISOSTEARATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-30%20ISOSTEARATE