How we scored it
Where it comes from
Made by esterifying stearic acid, typically from vegetable oil, with a polyethylene glycol averaging 4 ethylene oxide units. Ethylene oxide is a petrochemical feedstock.
In plain English
An emulsifier made from stearic acid, a vegetable fatty acid, reacted with a short chain of ethylene oxide, a petroleum-derived chemical.
CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-(1-oxooctadecyl)-.omega.-hydroxy- (4 mol EO average molar ratio)
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References
- 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.
- 2PEG-4 STEARATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 3PEG-4 STEARATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-4%20STEARATE