Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/PEG/PPG-4/12 Dimethicone
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is PEG/PPG-4/12 Dimethicone natural?

No. This site's convention treats all silicone (Si-O backbone) ingredients as 0.0 even though the EO/PO grafts add further petrochemical mass.

INCI namePEG/PPG-4/12 Dimethicone
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockA dimethyl siloxane backbone modified with ethylene oxide…

How we scored it

Silicone backbone (siloxane) with EO/PO side chains; this site's convention rates all silicones 0.0 regardless of organic modification. 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 dimethyl siloxane backbone modified with ethylene oxide and propylene oxide side chains, all from petrochemical/mineral-derived synthetic routes. Classed 0.0 under site silicone convention.

In plain English

A silicone-based emulsifier that helps blend oil and water and gives products a silky feel. It's a fully synthetic, silicone-derived ingredient.

CosIng definition: Siloxanes and silicones, dimethyl, 3-hydroxypropyl methyl, ethoxylated, propoxylated (4 mol EO, 12 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-4/12 DIMETHICONE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3PEG/PPG-4/12 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-4/12%20DIMETHICONE