Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/Sorbeth-6
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Sorbeth-6 natural?

Mostly not. Plant-derived sorbitol ethoxylated with 6 mol petrochemical ethylene oxide, leaving roughly two-fifths of the mass natural.

INCI nameSorbeth-6
CAS53694-15-8
FormulaC18H38O12 · 446.5 Da
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Solvent
FeedstockMade by reacting plant-derived sorbitol with ethylene oxide…

How we scored it

Sorbitol C6H14O6 182 Da (natural) + 6×C2H4O ethylene oxide 264 Da (petrochemical) = 446 Da total (matches given MW) → 182/446 = 0.41.
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 6 mol EO. Formula and molecular weight match the named substance exactly.

In plain English

A surfactant and solvent made by reacting plant-derived sorbitol with a small number of petrochemical ethylene oxide units.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-hydro-.omega.-hydroxy-, ether with d-glucitol (6:1)

Natural alternatives with the same function

Structure

2D structure of Sorbeth-6

2-[2,3,4,5,6-pentakis(2-hydroxyethoxy)hexoxy]ethanol

PubChem CID 62213 ↗

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-6. PubChem CID 62213. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3SORBETH-6. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4SORBETH-6. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SORBETH-6