Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/PEG-7 Olivate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is PEG-7 Olivate natural?

Mostly not. Olive fatty acid esterified with a 7-unit petrochemical ethylene oxide chain; the EO chain slightly outweighs the fatty acid.

INCI namePEG-7 Olivate
CAS226708-41-4
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockMade by ethoxylating olive oil fatty acids (mainly…

How we scored it

Oleic acid (olive FA, natural) contributes 265.46 Da + PEG-7 chain (petrochemical, 7 EO) contributes 325.38 Da = 590.84 Da total. 265.46/590.84 = 0.45.
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 olive oil fatty acids (mainly oleic acid, natural) with about 7 moles ethylene oxide (petrochemical). No natural alternative exists for the PEG chain.

In plain English

An emulsifier made from olive oil fatty acids reacted with a short chain of petrochemical ethylene oxide. Just under half the molecule's weight is plant-derived.

CosIng definition: Fatty acids, olive oil, ethoxylated (7 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-7 OLIVATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-7 OLIVATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-7%20OLIVATE