Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/Sorbeth-40
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Sorbeth-40 natural?

Mostly not. Plant-derived sorbitol ethoxylated with 40 mol petrochemical ethylene oxide; the long synthetic polyether chain dominates the mass.

INCI nameSorbeth-40
CAS53694-15-8
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Humectant
FeedstockMade by reacting plant-derived sorbitol with ethylene oxide…

How we scored it

Sorbitol backbone 182 Da (natural) + 40×44 Da EO units 1762 Da (petrochemical) → 182/1944 = 0.09.
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 reacting plant-derived sorbitol with ethylene oxide (petrochemical) to an average of 40 mol EO, per the CosIng description. No formula was supplied to cross-check.

In plain English

An emulsifying and thickening ingredient made by reacting plant-derived sorbitol with about 40 petrochemical ethylene oxide units.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-hydro-.omega.-hydroxy-, ether with D-glucitol (6:1) (40 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. 2SORBETH-40. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3SORBETH-40. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SORBETH-40