Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/PEG-60 Sorbitan Tetraoleate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is PEG-60 Sorbitan Tetraoleate natural?

Mostly not. Sorbitan and the four oleic acid chains are natural, sugar- and vegetable-oil derived; the 60 mol ethylene oxide chain is petrochemical.

INCI namePEG-60 Sorbitan Tetraoleate
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockMade from dehydrated sorbitol esterified with vegetable-derived oleic…

How we scored it

Sorbitan 164 Da + 4x oleic acid 282 Da - 4x H2O 18 = 1222 Da (natural) + 60 EO x44=2643 (petro); 1222/3865=0.32
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 dehydrated sorbitol esterified with vegetable-derived oleic acid four times, then ethoxylated with 60 mol petrochemical ethylene oxide.

In plain English

An emulsifier made from a sugar derivative esterified with vegetable-derived oleic acid four times, then combined with a long chain of ethylene oxide, a petroleum-based building block.

CosIng definition: 1,4-Anhydro-D-glucitol, poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl) derivatives, tetraesters with 9-(Z)-octadecenoic acid (60 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-60 SORBITAN TETRAOLEATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-60 SORBITAN TETRAOLEATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-60%20SORBITAN%20TETRAOLEATE