C20-40 Pareth-24 ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a nonionic emulsifier and solubilizer used to help oils, waxy materials, and water form stable dispersions. It can also support texture, wetting, and foam quality in rinse-off and leave-on formulas.
What does C20-40 Pareth-24 do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a nonionic emulsifier and solubilizer used to help oils, waxy materials, and water form stable dispersions. It can also support texture, wetting, and foam quality in rinse-off and leave-on formulas.
Is C20-40 Pareth-24 clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it faces friction because it is made through ethoxylation, a process associated with possible trace residues such as ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane if not well purified. It is generally low in irritation for many users, but it commonly appears on restricted lists that limit ethoxylated materials.
Is C20-40 Pareth-24 sustainable?
This material is typically synthetic and may draw from petroleum-derived chemistry, with the fatty portion potentially coming from petrochemical or oleochemical sources depending on supplier. Alcohol ethoxylate-type materials are often biodegradable, but the manufacturing route and residue controls are the main sustainability concerns.
Is C20-40 Pareth-24 COSMOS-approved?
It is not permitted under COSMOS organic or COSMOS natural standards because ethoxylated materials sit outside the standard’s allowed chemistry. Its Green Chemistry profile is mixed, since it can be functionally efficient and biodegradable, but relies on a less preferred reactive oxide process and tight impurity control.
How does C20-40 Pareth-24 work chemically?
The molecule is a nonionic ether built from a long saturated alkyl chain joined to an average 24-unit oxyethylene segment, giving it strong water-dispersing and emulsifying character. It is generally stable across common cosmetic pH ranges and is used at low to moderate levels depending on whether the formula needs solubilization, emulsification, or wax dispersion.
Last updated 2026-08-17