Database/Cleansing/Steareth-27
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Steareth-27 natural?

Mostly not. Stearyl alcohol from oleochemical fat is heavily diluted by twenty-seven petrochemical ethylene-oxide units.

INCI nameSteareth-27
FunctionCleansing · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockSteareth-27 is made by ethoxylating stearyl alcohol, typically…

How we scored it

Stearyl alcohol C18H38O 270.5 Da (natural, oleochemical) + 27xEO 1189.35 Da (petrochemical) = 1459.85 Da; 270.5/1459.85 = 0.19
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

Steareth-27 is made by ethoxylating stearyl alcohol, typically derived from oleochemical fats, with 27 moles of petrochemical ethylene oxide. A petrochemical fatty alcohol route also exists as a minor alternative.

In plain English

A cleansing surfactant made from a fatty alcohol, typically derived from vegetable or animal fat, combined with 27 units of a petroleum-derived chemical. Most of its weight comes from the petroleum part.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-octadecyl-.omega.-hydroxy

Natural alternatives with the same function

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-27. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3STEARETH-27. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=STEARETH-27