Laureth-30 ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a nonionic solubilizer and emulsifier, helping disperse oils, fragrance components, and other lipophilic materials into water-based formulas. It can also support mild cleansing systems by lowering interfacial tension and improving clarity.
What does Laureth-30 do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a nonionic solubilizer and emulsifier, helping disperse oils, fragrance components, and other lipophilic materials into water-based formulas. It can also support mild cleansing systems by lowering interfacial tension and improving clarity.
Is Laureth-30 clean?
Clean-beauty programs often flag it because it is made by ethoxylation, a process associated with trace residuals that require tight purification and supplier testing. In finished products, irritation potential is usually low at typical levels, but its processing route creates clean-standard friction.
Is Laureth-30 sustainable?
It is typically made from fatty alcohol feedstocks that may come from palm, coconut, or petrochemical sources, then extended with petrochemical-derived oxide units. This class is generally aerobically biodegradable, but fossil-derived processing inputs and palm traceability make its sustainability profile mixed.
Is Laureth-30 COSMOS-approved?
It is not permitted under COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic because the manufacturing route relies on ethoxylation, which the standard does not allow for cosmetic ingredients. From a Green Chemistry lens, it has useful biodegradability but weaker alignment on renewable carbon and residue-minimizing design.
How does Laureth-30 work chemically?
The molecule is a fatty alcohol polyether with an average of about 30 oxyethylene repeat units, making it highly hydrophilic and nonionic. It is stable across broad cosmetic pH ranges, compatible with anionic, cationic, and amphoteric surfactants, and is commonly used around 0.5% to 5% for solubilizing or emulsification depending on oil load.
Last updated 2026-05-13