Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/Poloxamer 407
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Poloxamer 407 natural?

No. Entirely ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, both petrochemical-derived monomers; no natural fragment present.

INCI namePoloxamer 407
CAS9003-11-6
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockPoloxamer 407 is a PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymer made…

How we scored it

Block copolymer of ethylene oxide (98 units) and propylene oxide (67 units); both monomers petrochemical -> 0/total = 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

Poloxamer 407 is a PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymer made industrially from petrochemical ethylene oxide and propylene oxide. There is no commercially significant bio-based route.

In plain English

A synthetic thickener and emulsifier used to stabilize creams, gels and eye drops. It's built entirely from ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, both derived from petroleum, not from plants or other natural sources.

CosIng definition: Oxirane, methyl-, polymer with oxirane (98;67)

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. 2POLOXAMER 407. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3POLOXAMER 407. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POLOXAMER%20407