Database/Viscosity Controlling/Polyether-1
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Polyether-1 natural?

No. Ethylene oxide, phenols, styrene, formaldehyde, methanol and urea are all petrochemical or natural-gas derived, so no fragment qualifies as natural origin.

INCI namePolyether-1
FunctionViscosity Controlling
FeedstockEthoxylated alkylphenol and styrylphenol blocks are cross-linked with…

How we scored it

Copolymer of PEG-180 and PEG-25 (ethylene oxide), dodecylphenol, tristyrylphenol (styrene, phenol) and methoxymethyl glycoluril (urea, glyoxal, formaldehyde, methanol); all petrochemical; 0 / total = 0.00.
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

Ethoxylated alkylphenol and styrylphenol blocks are cross-linked with a methoxymethyl glycoluril resin, all from petrochemical feedstocks. No natural-origin route exists.

In plain English

A synthetic thickener made by linking polyethylene glycol and phenol-based building blocks into one polymer. It builds viscosity in water-based cleansers and lotions. All of its components come from petrochemical feedstocks.

CosIng definition: Copolymer of PEG-180, dodoxynol-5, PEG-25 tristyrylphenol and tetramethoxymethylglycouril monomers

Natural alternatives with the same function

Agar 100% natural origin

A gelling and thickening gum extracted from red seaweed. It is used to give products body and texture,…

 Agarose 100% natural origin

A gelling and thickening ingredient extracted from red seaweed, used to give lotions and gels body.

 Algin 100% natural origin

Sodium alginate, a thickening and binding gum extracted from brown seaweed. It's harvested from algae and processed to…

 Alginic Acid 100% natural origin

A gelling and thickening gum extracted from brown seaweed, the acid form of alginate. It's harvested and purified…

 Aluminum Behenate 100% natural origin

The aluminium salt of behenic acid, a fatty acid from rapeseed or similar seed oils. Used in small…

 Aluminum Distearate 100% natural origin

An aluminium salt of stearic acid, a fatty acid from vegetable oil or animal fat. Used in powders…

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. 2POLYETHER-1. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3POLYETHER-1. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POLYETHER-1