Database/Humectant/PEG-4
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is PEG-4 natural?

No. Small polyethylene glycol made entirely from petrochemical ethylene oxide; no natural-origin fragment present.

INCI namePEG-4
CAS25322-68-3
FormulaC8H18O5 · 194.23 Da
FunctionHumectant · Solvent
FeedstockManufactured by polymerising petrochemical ethylene oxide onto a…

How we scored it

Tetraethylene glycol H-(OCH2CH2)4-OH built solely from ethylene oxide → 0.0
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

Manufactured by polymerising petrochemical ethylene oxide onto a water initiator to a four-unit chain. No natural-origin route exists for unmodified PEG.

In plain English

A small synthetic humectant and solvent made from petroleum-derived ethylene oxide. It helps keep formulations moist and ingredients dissolved.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-hydro-.omega.-hydroxy- (4 mol EO average molar ratio)

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Structure

2D structure of PEG-4

2-[2-[2-(2-hydroxyethoxy)ethoxy]ethoxy]ethanol

PubChem CID 8200 ↗

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-4. PubChem CID 8200. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3PEG-4. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4PEG-4. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-4