Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/Trideceth-4
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Trideceth-4 natural?

No. Both the branched C13 alcohol and the polyoxyethylene chain derive from petrochemical feedstocks (propylene-tetramer oxo-alcohol; ethylene oxide).

INCI nameTrideceth-4
CAS24938-91-8
FormulaC15H32O2 · 244.41 Da
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockManufactured by ethoxylating isotridecanol, a branched C13 alcohol…

How we scored it

Isotridecanol (branched C13 oxo-alcohol, petrochemical) + 4 EO (petrochemical) = 0/total = 0.0. Given formula (C15H32O2/244) is a 1-EO congener mismatch; CosIng's 4 mol EO used, doesn't change result.
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

Manufactured by ethoxylating isotridecanol, a branched C13 alcohol made industrially from propylene tetramer via the oxo (hydroformylation) process. No natural or bio-based commercial route to isotridecanol exists.

In plain English

A surfactant used to emulsify and cleanse, made from a synthetic branched C13 alcohol (isotridecanol) reacted with ethylene oxide. Both building blocks come from petrochemical feedstocks.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-tridecyl-.omega.-hydroxy- (4 mol EO average molar ratio); Isotridecanol, ethoxylated

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Structure

2D structure of Trideceth-4

2-tridecoxyethanol

PubChem CID 38049 ↗

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. 2Trideceth-4. PubChem CID 38049. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3TRIDECETH-4. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4TRIDECETH-4. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=TRIDECETH-4