Database/Emollient/Propylene Glycol Distearate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Propylene Glycol Distearate natural?

Mostly. Both fatty acid chains are natural stearic acid; only the small propylene glycol backbone is petrochemical.

INCI namePropylene Glycol Distearate
CAS6182-11-2
FormulaC39H76O4 · 609.0 Da
FunctionEmollient · Opacifying
FeedstockMade by esterifying stearic acid (vegetable oil or…

How we scored it

2 stearoyl groups (2x267.5=535Da) natural + propylene glycol core (74Da) petrochemical -> 535/609 = 0.88
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 esterifying stearic acid (vegetable oil or tallow-derived) with propylene glycol (petrochemical propylene oxide). The two large stearic acid chains dominate the molecule's mass.

In plain English

A wax-like emollient made from stearic acid (a vegetable or animal fat derivative) and a small synthetic glycol, used to thicken and add pearlescence to creams and lotions.

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Structure

2D structure of Propylene Glycol Distearate

2-octadecanoyloxypropyl octadecanoate

PubChem CID 110800 ↗

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. 2Propylene Glycol Distearate. PubChem CID 110800. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3PROPYLENE GLYCOL DISTEARATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4PROPYLENE GLYCOL DISTEARATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PROPYLENE%20GLYCOL%20DISTEARATE