Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/PEG-55 Lanolin
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is PEG-55 Lanolin natural?

Mostly not. Natural lanolin core is increasingly diluted as the ethoxylate chain length grows.

INCI namePEG-55 Lanolin
CAS61790-81-6
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockMade from sheep wool wax (lanolin) reacted with…

How we scored it

Lanolin core ~400 Da (natural) + 55 EO x44=2420 Da petrochemical; 400/2820=0.14.
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

Made from sheep wool wax (lanolin) reacted with petrochemical ethylene oxide; no alternative lanolin source exists.

In plain English

A heavily ethoxylated form of lanolin (wool wax), used as an emulsifier and cleansing agent in cosmetic formulas.

CosIng definition: Lanolin, ethoxylated (55 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-55 LANOLIN. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-55 LANOLIN. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-55%20LANOLIN