BEHENETH-5 ●
TL;DR. This ingredient functions mainly as a nonionic emulsifier and solubilizer, helping oil and water phases stay blended in creams, lotions, and cleansing systems. It can also support texture and mild cleansing performance.
What does BEHENETH-5 do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient functions mainly as a nonionic emulsifier and solubilizer, helping oil and water phases stay blended in creams, lotions, and cleansing systems. It can also support texture and mild cleansing performance.
Is BEHENETH-5 clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, this ingredient faces friction because it is made through ethoxylation, a process associated with trace residual concerns such as 1,4-dioxane when purification is not well controlled. Finished-product quality depends on supplier controls, residual testing, and specification limits.
Is BEHENETH-5 sustainable?
This material is typically made from a long-chain fatty alcohol plus petrochemical-derived ethoxylation chemistry, so its sourcing profile is mixed. Fatty alcohol ethoxylates are generally biodegradable, but the manufacturing route is less aligned with low-processing, renewable-first standards.
Is BEHENETH-5 COSMOS-approved?
It is generally not permitted under COSMOS natural or organic standards because ethoxylated materials are excluded. Its Green Chemistry fit is limited by petrochemical-derived building blocks and processing-residue management, even though the molecule class can show good biodegradability.
How does BEHENETH-5 work chemically?
The molecule is a nonionic ethoxylated C22 fatty alcohol ether with an average of about 5 oxyethylene units, giving it moderate oil affinity and limited water dispersibility compared with higher-ethoxylated grades. It is typically used at low single-digit percentages as a co-emulsifier or solubilizing aid and is broadly stable across common cosmetic pH ranges.
Last updated 2026-05-16