How we scored it
Ester of sorbitan (from sorbitol, natural sugar-alcohol) and caprylic acid (natural C8 fatty acid); condensation water not counted → 1.0.
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.
How it’s made
Where it comes from
Made by dehydrating natural sorbitol (from glucose) to sorbitan, then esterifying with coconut-derived caprylic acid. No petrochemical route is significant.
In plain English
A gentle emulsifier and thickener made from plant sugar and coconut fatty acid. It helps stabilise creams and lotions and is fully plant/oleochemical derived.
CosIng definition: Sorbitan Sesquicaprylate is a mixture of mono and diesters of Caprylic Acid and hexitol anhydrides derived from sorbitol
Structure
[(2R,3S,4R,5R)-1,2,3,4,5,6-hexahydroxyhexyl] octanoate
References
- 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.
- 2Sorbitan Sesquicaprylate. PubChem CID 87090353. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
- 3SORBITAN SESQUICAPRYLATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 4SORBITAN SESQUICAPRYLATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SORBITAN%20SESQUICAPRYLATE