How we scored it
Where it comes from
Made by hydrogenating castor oil (Ricinus communis seed oil) then reacting it with about 5 moles of petrochemical ethylene oxide. Castor oil is essentially the sole commercial feedstock.
In plain English
A mild emulsifier made from hardened castor bean oil treated with a small amount of a synthetic thickening agent, helping blend oil and water in products.
CosIng definition: Castor oil (Ricinus communis), hydrogenated, ethoxylated (5 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-5 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 3PEG-5 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-5%20HYDROGENATED%20CASTOR%20OIL