Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/PEG/PPG-20/20 Dimethicone
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is PEG/PPG-20/20 Dimethicone natural?

No. Silicone backbone scored 0 by this site's convention; the ethylene- and propylene-oxide side chains are also petrochemical.

INCI namePEG/PPG-20/20 Dimethicone
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockA silicone (dimethicone) backbone is modified with petrochemical…

How we scored it

Dimethicone backbone = 0 (this site's convention); EO/PPG chains (20+20 mol) = 0 (petrochemical). Overall 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

A silicone (dimethicone) backbone is modified with petrochemical ethylene oxide and propylene oxide side chains. Both the backbone and the added chains are non-renewable by composition and this site's convention.

In plain English

A silicone-based emulsifier that helps blend water and oil in creams and lotions. It is built from a man-made silicone chain combined with petrochemical ingredients, not from plants or minerals.

CosIng definition: Siloxanes and silicones, dimethyl, 3-hydroxypropyl methyl, ethoxylated, propoxylated (20 mol EO, 20 mol PO 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/PPG-20/20 DIMETHICONE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG/PPG-20/20 DIMETHICONE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PEG/PPG-20/20%20DIMETHICONE