Database/Cleansing Surfactant/PEG-55 Propylene Glycol Oleate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is PEG-55 Propylene Glycol Oleate natural?

Mostly not. Oleic acid is vegetable-oil derived and natural; propylene glycol and the long ethylene oxide chain are both petrochemical and dominate the mass.

INCI namePEG-55 Propylene Glycol Oleate
CAS86481-08-5
FunctionCleansing Surfactant · Viscosity Controlling
FeedstockOleic acid typically comes from vegetable oils; it…

How we scored it

Oleoyl 265 Da (natural) + propylene glycol residue 75 Da (petro) + 55 EO x44=2423 Da (petro); 265/2763=0.10
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

Oleic acid typically comes from vegetable oils; it is esterified with petrochemical propylene glycol and ethoxylated with 55 mol ethylene oxide.

In plain English

A cleansing ingredient made from vegetable-derived oleic acid combined with propylene glycol and a long ethylene oxide chain, both petroleum-based.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-(2-(1-oxo-9-(Z)-octadecenyl)oxy-1-methylethyl)-.omega.-hydroxy- (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 PROPYLENE GLYCOL OLEATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-55 PROPYLENE GLYCOL OLEATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-55%20PROPYLENE%20GLYCOL%20OLEATE