Database/Film Forming/Polyethylene Terephthalate
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Polyethylene Terephthalate natural?

No. Both monomers, ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid, are petrochemical/aromatic; no natural-origin feedstock is used in standard commercial PET.

INCI namePolyethylene Terephthalate
CAS25038-59-9
FunctionFilm Forming
FeedstockPET is manufactured by polymerising terephthalic acid (from…

How we scored it

Repeat unit = ethylene glycol (petrochemical, ethylene-oxide derived) + terephthalic acid (petrochemical, aromatic, from p-xylene) — both fragments 0, so 0/192 natural.
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

PET is manufactured by polymerising terephthalic acid (from petrochemical p-xylene) with ethylene glycol (from petrochemical ethylene oxide). A minor 'bio-MEG' variant swaps in sugarcane-derived glycol, but the dominant aromatic acid component stays petrochemical.

In plain English

A plastic (the same as in PET bottles) used to form a thin film in cosmetics, for example in glitter. It's manufactured from two petroleum-derived building blocks, ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyloxycarbonyl-1,4-phenylenecarbonyl)

Natural alternatives with the same function

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 Albumen 100% natural origin

Egg white. Used in cosmetics to form a film on skin or hair and to help condition them.

 Amorphophallus Konjac Root Extract 100% natural origin

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 Astragalus Gummifer Gum 100% natural origin

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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. 2POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POLYETHYLENE%20TEREPHTHALATE