Oleth-2 ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a nonionic emulsifier and solubilizer, mainly used to help oil-rich phases disperse and to support water-in-oil or low-HLB emulsions. It can also help wet pigments and improve spread in creams, lotions, and cleansing products.
What does Oleth-2 do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a nonionic emulsifier and solubilizer, mainly used to help oil-rich phases disperse and to support water-in-oil or low-HLB emulsions. It can also help wet pigments and improve spread in creams, lotions, and cleansing products.
Is Oleth-2 clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, this ingredient often gets flagged because it is ethoxylated and can carry trace ethylene oxide or 1,4-dioxane if purification is weak. It is more scrutinized than simple fatty alcohols, with irritation potential depending on concentration, product type, and rinse-off versus leave-on use.
Is Oleth-2 sustainable?
This material is typically made from a C18:1 fatty-alcohol feedstock combined with ethoxylation chemistry, so sourcing can be partly plant-derived but often includes petrochemical input. Alcohol ethoxylates are generally biodegradable, but the production route and residual impurity controls are the main sustainability caveats.
Is Oleth-2 COSMOS-approved?
It is not aligned with COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic expectations because ethoxylated materials are generally not permitted. From a Green Chemistry lens, its biodegradability is a positive, but petrochemical ethoxylation and impurity-management needs weaken its fit.
How does Oleth-2 work chemically?
The molecule is a nonionic surfactant built from an unsaturated C18 hydrophobe and an average of about two ethylene oxide units, giving it a low HLB profile suited to oil-phase emulsification. It is generally stable across typical cosmetic pH ranges, but the unsaturated chain can be oxidation-prone, so antioxidants and low-oxygen storage can support formula stability.
Last updated 2026-08-17