Database/Cleansing/Sodium C12-14 Olefin Sulfonate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Sodium C12-14 Olefin Sulfonate natural?

Mostly not. Sulfonate and sodium come from sulfur trioxide and caustic soda (minerals); the C12-14 alpha-olefin chain comes from petrochemical ethylene oligomerisation.

INCI nameSodium C12-14 Olefin Sulfonate
CAS85536-12-5
FunctionCleansing · Foaming
FeedstockDominant route: ethylene-derived C12-14 alpha-olefins are sulfonated with…

How we scored it

65% alkene sulfonate C13H25SO3Na: SO3Na 103/284 = 0.36; 35% hydroxyalkane sulfonate: SO3Na + OH 120/302 = 0.40; blend 0.37. C12-14 chain from ethylene = 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

Dominant route: ethylene-derived C12-14 alpha-olefins are sulfonated with SO3 and neutralised with sodium hydroxide. Olefins made from oleochemical feedstocks are not a significant supply.

In plain English

A foaming cleansing surfactant used in shampoos, bubble baths and washes. It is made by reacting 12 to 14 carbon alpha-olefins (usually from petroleum-derived ethylene) with sulfur trioxide and neutralising with sodium hydroxide, giving a mixture of sodium alkene sulfonates and hydroxyalkane sulfonates.

CosIng definition: Sulfonic acids, C12-14-alkane hydroxy and C12-14-alkene, sodium salts

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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. 2SODIUM C12-14 OLEFIN SULFONATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3SODIUM C12-14 OLEFIN SULFONATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SODIUM%20C12-14%20OLEFIN%20SULFONATE