How we scored it
Where it comes from
Poloxamer 188 is a PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymer made industrially from petrochemical ethylene oxide and propylene oxide. No commercially significant bio-based route exists.
In plain English
A synthetic surfactant used to stabilize emulsions and boost foam in cleansers. It's made entirely from ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, both petroleum-derived building blocks with no natural feedstock involved.
CosIng definition: Oxirane, methyl-, polymer with oxirane (75;30)
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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.
- 2POLOXAMER 188. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 3POLOXAMER 188. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POLOXAMER%20188