Database/Cleansing Surfactant/PEG-9 Ricinoleate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is PEG-9 Ricinoleate natural?

Mostly not. Polyethylene glycol ester of ricinoleic acid. The fatty-acid chain is natural; the 9-unit ethylene-oxide chain is petrochemical.

INCI namePEG-9 Ricinoleate
CAS9004-97-1
FunctionCleansing Surfactant
FeedstockCastor-oil ricinoleic acid esterified or ethoxylated with about…

How we scored it

PEG-9 Ricinoleate: ricinoleoyl fragment C18H33O2 281.5 Da (natural) of ricinoleic acid 298.5 Da + 9 EO 396.5 Da = 694.9 Da → 0.41. The ester oxygen and chain-end hydrogen go with the PEG chain, as for PEG-8 Laurate.
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

Castor-oil ricinoleic acid esterified or ethoxylated with about 9 mol of ethylene oxide.

In plain English

A castor-oil fatty acid modified with more ethylene oxide than its PEG-7 relative, used as a cleansing surfactant in washes.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-(12-hydroxy-1-oxo-9-octadecenyl)-.omega.-hydroxy-, [R-(Z)] (9 mol EO average molar ratio)

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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-9 RICINOLEATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG-9 RICINOLEATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG-9%20RICINOLEATE