Database/Cleansing/PEG-55 Stearate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is PEG-55 Stearate natural?

Mostly not. Natural stearic acid backbone diluted by a long 55-unit petrochemical polyethylene glycol chain.

INCI namePEG-55 Stearate
CAS9004-99-3
FunctionCleansing
FeedstockMade by ethoxylating stearic acid (vegetable oil-derived) with…

How we scored it

Stearic acid 284.5 Da (natural) + 55x44.05 Da ethylene oxide (petrochemical) = 284.5/2707.5 = 0.11; supplied formula/MW match only the 1-EO adduct, so description's 55 mol EO was used.
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 by ethoxylating stearic acid (vegetable oil-derived) with 55 moles of ethylene oxide. No natural ethoxylation route exists.

In plain English

A cleansing ingredient made from natural stearic acid, a vegetable fat, joined to a long synthetic ethylene-oxide chain.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-(1-oxooctadecyl)-.omega.-hydroxy- (55 mol EO average molar ratio)

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