How we scored it
Ester of tetraglycerol (from natural glycerin) and stearic acid (natural fatty acid); condensation loses only water, so 1.0.
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
Made by first polymerising natural glycerin, a co-product of oil and fat splitting, into tetraglycerol, then esterifying with stearic acid from vegetable oil. No petrochemical fragment is introduced.
In plain English
An emulsifier that helps blend oil and water in creams and lotions. It's built entirely from plant-derived glycerin and a vegetable fatty acid.
CosIng definition: 1,2,3-Propanetriol, homopolymer, monooctadecanoate; Polyglycerol monostearate 1,2,3-Propanetriol, homopolymer, monooctadecanoate (MW=450)
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-4 STEARATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 3POLYGLYCERYL-4 STEARATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POLYGLYCERYL-4%20STEARATE