How we scored it
C60H114O8, 963.5 Da: sorbitan (glucose-derived) plus three isostearic acid chains (oleic-acid derived), joined by ester links with water lost. No petrochemical atoms: 963.5 / 963.5 = 1.00.
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: sorbitol (from corn or wheat starch) dehydrated to sorbitan and esterified with isostearic acid from oleic acid, a by-product of dimer-acid manufacture from vegetable oils. No petrochemical route is commercial.
In plain English
An oil-soluble emulsifier that helps water and oil mix and disperses pigments, made by joining sorbitan (from sugar alcohol) to three branched fatty acid chains. Both parts come from plant sources such as starch and vegetable oils.
CosIng definition: Sorbitan, triisooctadecanoate
Structure
[(3S,4R,5R)-5-[(1R)-2-hydroxy-1-(16-methylheptadecanoyloxy)ethyl]-4-(16-methylheptadecanoyloxy)oxolan-3-yl] 16-methylheptadecanoate
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 Triisostearate. PubChem CID 171343. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
- 3SORBITAN TRIISOSTEARATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 4SORBITAN TRIISOSTEARATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SORBITAN%20TRIISOSTEARATE