Database/Emollient/Tridecyl Ethylhexanoate
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Tridecyl Ethylhexanoate natural?

No. Tridecyl alcohol is an odd-chain oxo alcohol from petrochemical olefins and 2-ethylhexanoic acid is made from propylene, so no fragment is natural origin.

INCI nameTridecyl Ethylhexanoate
CAS125804-07-1
FormulaC21H42O2 · 326.6 Da
FunctionEmollient · Skin Conditioning
FeedstockDominant route: isotridecanol from propylene or butene oligomers…

How we scored it

Tridecyl-O C13H27O is a branched oxo alcohol from butene or propylene oligomers (0); 2-ethylhexanoyl C8H15O from propylene oxo (0); total C21H42O2 326.6; 0/326.6 = 0.00.
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

Dominant route: isotridecanol from propylene or butene oligomers by hydroformylation, esterified with 2-ethylhexanoic acid from propylene-derived butyraldehyde. An odd-chain C13 alcohol has no commercial oleochemical route, so there is no natural alternative.

In plain English

A light emollient ester that softens skin and helps products spread. Both halves are made from petrochemical raw materials: tridecyl alcohol from propylene or butene oligomers, and 2-ethylhexanoic acid from propylene.

Natural alternatives with the same function

Structure

2D structure of Tridecyl Ethylhexanoate

tridecyl 2-ethylhexanoate

PubChem CID 21960444 ↗

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. 2Tridecyl Ethylhexanoate. PubChem CID 21960444. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3TRIDECYL ETHYLHEXANOATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4TRIDECYL ETHYLHEXANOATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=TRIDECYL%20ETHYLHEXANOATE