Choleth-24 ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a nonionic emulsifier and solubilizer used to help oil-based materials disperse into water-based formulas. It can also support a smoother skin feel in creams, lotions, and treatment emulsions.
What does Choleth-24 do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a nonionic emulsifier and solubilizer used to help oil-based materials disperse into water-based formulas. It can also support a smoother skin feel in creams, lotions, and treatment emulsions.
Is Choleth-24 clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, this ingredient has friction because it is ethoxylated, which brings scrutiny around trace processing residues such as 1,4-dioxane if purification is not well controlled. It is generally used for performance rather than skin benefit, and its standing depends heavily on supplier quality and residual testing.
Is Choleth-24 sustainable?
This material is semi-synthetic, typically combining a sterol-derived backbone with petrochemical-derived ethoxylation chemistry. Its biodegradability profile is less straightforward than simple plant oils or fatty alcohols, and it is not a strong fit for renewable, low-processing sourcing expectations.
Is Choleth-24 COSMOS-approved?
This ingredient is not permitted under COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic standards because ethoxylated materials fall outside the standard’s allowed chemistry. Its Green Chemistry alignment is limited by petrochemical input, added processing complexity, and less favorable end-of-life clarity.
How does Choleth-24 work chemically?
The molecule is amphiphilic, with a bulky sterol-like lipophilic portion and an average polyoxyethylene chain length of 24 units, giving it high water-dispersibility and nonionic emulsifying behavior. It is typically used at low single-digit percentages, often alongside fatty alcohols, waxes, or other emulsifiers to tune emulsion structure, viscosity, and sensory feel.
Last updated 2026-05-13