Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/PEG-6 Distearate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is PEG-6 Distearate natural?

Mostly. Two stearic acid chains from vegetable/tallow oleochemical feedstock (natural); the polyethylene glycol backbone from petrochemical ethylene oxide.

INCI namePEG-6 Distearate
CAS9005-08-7
FormulaC19H40O4 · 332.5 Da
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockMade by esterifying stearic acid, typically from vegetable…

How we scored it

2x stearoyl C18H35O (natural/oleochemical, 535 Da) + hexaethylene glycol diyl core C12H24O7 (petrochemical, 280 Da) = 535/815 = 0.66. Given formula/IUPAC (ethylene glycol;heptadecanoic acid, 332 Da) is a data mismatch; recalculated from CosIng's stated 6 mol EO with stearoyl groups.
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 esterifying stearic acid, typically from vegetable oil or tallow oleochemical feedstock, onto both ends of hexaethylene glycol (PEG-6) made from petrochemical ethylene oxide. Given formula/IUPAC data did not match this structure and was overridden by the CosIng description.

In plain English

An emulsifier made from two stearic acid molecules (a natural fatty acid) joined to a petrochemical glycol chain (PEG-6).

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-(1-oxooctadecyl)-.omega.-[(1-oxooctadecyl)oxy]- (6 mol EO average molar ratio)

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Structure

2D structure of PEG-6 Distearate

ethane-1,2-diol;heptadecanoic acid

PubChem CID 16211945 ↗

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-6 Distearate. PubChem CID 16211945. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3PEG-6 DISTEARATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4PEG-6 DISTEARATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-6%20DISTEARATE