Database/Cleansing Surfactant/PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate natural?

Mostly not. The sorbitan and lauric-acid core is natural, but eighty ethoxylate units from petrochemical ethylene oxide dominate the final mass.

INCI namePEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate
CAS9005-64-5
FunctionCleansing Surfactant
FeedstockPEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate is sorbitan monolaurate (from sorbitol…

How we scored it

Sorbitan monolaurate core (natural) 346.5 Da / total (+80 EO petrochemical, 3524 Da) 3870.5 Da = 0.09.
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

PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate is sorbitan monolaurate (from sorbitol and coconut-derived lauric acid) reacted with about eighty moles of petrochemical ethylene oxide, which makes up most of the final mass.

In plain English

An emulsifying and cleansing ingredient made from sorbitol and coconut-derived lauric acid, reacted with a large amount of ethylene oxide. Helps blend oil and water in cosmetic formulas.

CosIng definition: Sorbitan, monododecanoate, poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl) derivs. (80 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-80 SORBITAN LAURATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-80 SORBITAN LAURATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-80%20SORBITAN%20LAURATE