Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/Trideceth-6
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Trideceth-6 natural?

No. Isotridecyl alcohol is a synthetic branched oxo-alcohol from petrochemical propylene oligomers, not a natural fatty alcohol; the ethoxylate chain is also petrochemical.

INCI nameTrideceth-6
CAS24938-91-8
FormulaC15H32O2 · 244.41 Da
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockTrideceth-6 is made by ethoxylating isotridecanol, a branched…

How we scored it

Isotridecanol (branched C13 oxo-alcohol from propylene oligomers, petrochemical) + 6x ethylene oxide (petrochemical) -> 0/total = 0.0
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

Trideceth-6 is made by ethoxylating isotridecanol, a branched C13 alcohol manufactured from petrochemical propylene oligomers via the oxo (hydroformylation) process. No natural fatty-alcohol route is commercially used for this odd-numbered branched alcohol.

In plain English

A synthetic surfactant used to help clean and emulsify in shampoos and cleansers. Both its branched alcohol backbone and its ethylene oxide chain are made from petroleum-derived building blocks.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-tridecyl-.omega.-hydroxy; Isotridecanol, ethoxylated

Natural alternatives with the same function

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Structure

2D structure of Trideceth-6

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-6. PubChem CID 38049. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3TRIDECETH-6. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4TRIDECETH-6. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=TRIDECETH-6