How we scored it
Diglycerin (glycerin oligomer, natural) diesterified with stearic acid (oleochemical, natural); loses only water → 1.0 (formula matches C42H82O7).
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
Made by etherifying vegetable glycerin to diglycerin, then diesterifying with vegetable-derived stearic acid. Fully oleochemical; no petrochemical alternative in common use.
In plain English
A plant-derived emulsifier made from glycerin and vegetable stearic acid, used to blend oil and water in creams and lotions.
CosIng definition: 1,2,3-Propanetriol, homopolymer, octadecanoates (1:2) (2 mol glycerol average molar ratio)
Structure
[2-hydroxy-3-(2-hydroxy-3-octadecanoyloxypropoxy)propyl] octadecanoate
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.
- 2Polyglyceryl-2 Distearate. PubChem CID 9896421. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
- 3POLYGLYCERYL-2 DISTEARATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 4POLYGLYCERYL-2 DISTEARATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POLYGLYCERYL-2%20DISTEARATE