Database/Skin Conditioning/Polydecene
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Polydecene natural?

No. Polydecene is a synthetic hydrocarbon oligomer built from petrochemical ethylene-derived decene, like other polyalphaolefin emollients.

INCI namePolydecene
CAS37309-58-3
FunctionSkin Conditioning
FeedstockManufactured by oligomerising 1-decene, itself made by Ziegler…

How we scored it

Oligomer of 1-decene, made by Ziegler oligomerisation of petrochemical ethylene; no natural feedstock used commercially → 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

Manufactured by oligomerising 1-decene, itself made by Ziegler ethylene oligomerisation from petrochemical feedstocks, then hydrogenating. No natural route is used commercially.

In plain English

A lightweight, silicone-like synthetic oil used to give lotions a silky feel; made entirely from petrochemical ethylene.

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