Database/Cleansing/Sodium Laureth-4 Carboxylate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Sodium Laureth-4 Carboxylate natural?

Mostly not. The lauryl chain and the sodium ion are natural; the ethylene-oxide chain and the carboxymethyl end group are petrochemical.

INCI nameSodium Laureth-4 Carboxylate
CAS33939-64-9
FunctionCleansing · Foaming
FeedstockLaureth-4 carboxymethylated with sodium chloroacetate.

How we scored it

The INCI name fixes 4 EO. Lauryl-oxy C12H25O 185.3 Da + Na 23.0 Da (natural) = 208.3 Da; 4 EO 176.2 Da + carboxymethyl CH2COO 58.0 Da (chloroacetic acid) petrochemical; total 442.6 Da → 0.47. Same method as Sodium Laureth-13 Carboxylate.
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

Laureth-4 carboxymethylated with sodium chloroacetate.

In plain English

A mild cleansing ingredient made from coconut or palm-derived lauryl alcohol combined with ethylene oxide and a carboxylic acid group, used in gentle shampoos and washes.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-dodecyl-.omega.-carboxymethoxy-, sodium salts (3 mol EO average molar ratio)

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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 LAURETH-4 CARBOXYLATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3SODIUM LAURETH-4 CARBOXYLATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SODIUM%20LAURETH-4%20CARBOXYLATE