Database/Cleansing/Steareth-50
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Steareth-50 natural?

Mostly not. Stearyl fatty alcohol is oleochemical; the 50 ethylene-oxide units are petrochemical per this site's convention.

INCI nameSteareth-50
FunctionCleansing · Gel Forming
FeedstockMade by ethoxylating oleochemical stearyl alcohol with ethylene…

How we scored it

Stearyl alcohol 270.5 Da (natural) + 50x44.05 EO 2202.5 Da (petrochemical) = 2473 Da -> 270.5/2473 = 0.11.
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 oleochemical stearyl alcohol with ethylene oxide to an average of 50 mol EO, per the INCI name. Ethylene oxide is petrochemical; no natural route exists.

In plain English

A cleansing and gelling ingredient made by reacting stearyl alcohol, from vegetable oil, with a larger dose of ethylene oxide, a petroleum-derived chemical. Used to thicken wash-off products.

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

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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-50. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3STEARETH-50. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=STEARETH-50