Database/Hair Conditioning/Triethylhexanoin
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Triethylhexanoin natural?

Mostly not. The glycerin backbone is natural, but all three fatty-acid branches are petrochemical 2-ethylhexanoic acid from the oxo process.

INCI nameTriethylhexanoin
CAS7360-38-5
FormulaC27H50O6 · 470.7 Da
FunctionHair Conditioning · Fragrance
FeedstockMade by esterifying natural glycerin with petrochemical 2-ethylhexanoic…

How we scored it

Glyceryl (natural) fragment 89 Da; three 2-ethylhexanoate (petrochemical, oxo-process) fragments 382 Da total → 89/471 = 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

Made by esterifying natural glycerin with petrochemical 2-ethylhexanoic acid, itself produced from propylene via the oxo process. No natural route to 2-ethylhexanoic acid is used commercially.

In plain English

A lightweight silicone-alternative oil that gives creams a smooth, non-greasy skin feel. Only the glycerin backbone is plant-derived; the three fatty branches are made synthetically from petrochemicals.

Natural alternatives with the same function

Acacia Concinna Fruit Powder 100% natural origin

Shikakai fruit powder, made by drying and grinding the seed pods of the Acacia concinna plant. Traditionally used…

 Acronychia Acidula Fruit Extract 100% natural origin

An extract of lemon aspen, an Australian native fruit, used to condition skin and hair and help hold…

 Actinidia Chinensis Fruit 100% natural origin

Material from the kiwi fruit used to condition skin and hair, supplying fruit sugars, acids and vitamins. It…

 Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil 100% natural origin

An oil pressed from baobab tree seeds, used to nourish and condition skin and hair. It is harvested…

 Adansonia Grandidieri Seed Oil 100% natural origin

A nourishing oil pressed from the seeds of the Madagascar baobab tree. It's used to condition skin and…

 Agastache Rugosa Extract 100% natural origin

An extract of the whole Korean mint plant (Agastache rugosa), made by soaking the plant in a solvent…

Structure

2D structure of Triethylhexanoin

2,3-bis(2-ethylhexanoyloxy)propyl 2-ethylhexanoate

PubChem CID 110973 ↗

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. 2Triethylhexanoin. PubChem CID 110973. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3TRIETHYLHEXANOIN. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4TRIETHYLHEXANOIN. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=TRIETHYLHEXANOIN