PEG-7M has a Natural Origin Index (NOI) of 0.00 (scale 0–1) per ISO 16128. Ethylene oxide, made by oxidising petrochemical ethylene, is the sole building block, so the entire polymer counts as petrochemical. An NOI of 0.00 means 0% of its molecular mass is traceable to a natural, renewable source.

Is PEG-7M natural? NOI 0.00 — Is That Natural?

How we scored it

Polyethylene glycol with about 7,000 ethylene oxide units (~308,000 Da): every repeat unit C2H4O 44 Da is petrochemical; 0/308,000 = 0.0.

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

Dominant route: catalysed polymerisation of ethylene oxide made from steam-cracked ethylene. Ethylene from ethanol is possible but is treated as petrochemical under this site's convention.

In plain English

A very long chain of about 7,000 repeating ethylene oxide units, used as a water-soluble binder, thickener and emulsion stabiliser. It is made by polymerising ethylene oxide, which comes from petroleum-derived ethylene.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-hydro-.omega.-hydroxy- (7000 mol EO average molar ratio)

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References

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.
2PEG-7M. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
3PEG-7M. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-7M