How we scored it
Where it comes from
Made from oleochemical stearic acid reacted with about 50 units of petrochemical ethylene oxide. The supplied one-EO formula/MW contradicts the '50 mol EO' description, so the description is treated as authoritative.
In plain English
A cleansing and emulsifying ingredient combining a natural fatty acid with a long petroleum-derived ethylene oxide chain. The long chain means it is mostly non-renewable by mass.
CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-(1-oxooctadecyl)-.omega.-hydroxy- (50 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-50 STEARATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 3PEG-50 STEARATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-50%20STEARATE