Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/PEG-65 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is PEG-65 Hydrogenated Castor Oil natural?

Mostly not. The natural hydrogenated castor-oil core is diluted by a larger 65-unit petrochemical ethoxylate chain.

INCI namePEG-65 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
CAS61788-85-0
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockMade from hydrogenated castor oil reacted with 65…

How we scored it

Hydrogenated castor oil ~949Da (natural) + 65 mol ethylene oxide ~2863Da (petrochemical) = 3812Da total; 949/3812=0.25.
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 hydrogenated castor oil reacted with 65 moles of petrochemical ethylene oxide. The higher EO count further dilutes the natural fraction versus lower-EO variants.

In plain English

A solubiliser made from castor bean oil heavily reacted with a petroleum-based compound. Most of its final weight is the synthetic portion.

CosIng definition: Castor oil (Ricinus communis), hydrogenated, ethoxylated (65 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-65 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-65 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-65%20HYDROGENATED%20CASTOR%20OIL