Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/Steareth-1
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Steareth-1 natural?

Mostly. Stearyl chain from vegetable fatty alcohol is natural; the single ethylene oxide unit is petrochemical.

INCI nameSteareth-1
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockMade by ethoxylating stearyl alcohol, typically from vegetable…

How we scored it

Stearyl alcohol C18H38O (270.5, natural) + 1 EO C2H4O (44.1, petrochemical) = 314.6 total; 270.5/314.6 = 0.86.
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 ethoxylating stearyl alcohol, typically from vegetable oil, with one mole of ethylene oxide, per the CosIng description. No formula was supplied, so molar mass was estimated.

In plain English

Made by reacting stearyl alcohol (from vegetable oil) with one unit of ethylene oxide. Used as an emulsifier that helps blend oil and water in creams and cleansers.

CosIng definition: Steareth-1 is the polyethylene glycol ether of Stearyl Alcohol

Natural alternatives with the same function

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 C10-16 Alkyl Glucoside 100% natural origin

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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. 2STEARETH-1. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3STEARETH-1. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=STEARETH-1