Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/Polysorbate 65
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Polysorbate 65 natural?

Mostly. Natural sorbitan-tristearate core from sorbitol and stearic acid is polyethoxylated with petrochemical ethylene oxide; three natural stearate esters keep the fraction just above half.

INCI namePolysorbate 65
CAS9005-71-4
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockMade by esterifying sorbitan (from sorbitol) with three…

How we scored it

Sorbitan tristearate (natural, ~964 Da) + ~20 mol ethylene oxide (petrochemical, ~881 Da); 964/1845 = 0.52; degree of substitution 20 EO assumed
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.

How it’s made

Acid-catalysed ring closure of sorbitol (intramolecular SN2). Sorbitan is the ring at the core of every sorbitan ester and polysorbate. Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the scores for the whole family.

Where it comes from

Made by esterifying sorbitan (from sorbitol) with three stearic acid molecules (oleochemical), then reacting the remaining hydroxyl with about 20 moles of petrochemical ethylene oxide. The typical degree of ethoxylation (20 EO) is assumed.

In plain English

An emulsifier that blends oil and water, built from plant sugar and vegetable stearic acid with a synthetic ethylene-oxide chain attached. Roughly half its weight traces to petrochemical feedstock.

CosIng definition: Sorbitan, trioctadecanoate, poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl) derivs.

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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. 2POLYSORBATE 65. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3POLYSORBATE 65. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POLYSORBATE%2065