Peg-90 Glyceryl Isostearate ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a nonionic solubilizer, emulsifier, and viscosity builder, most often used in surfactant systems to thicken cleansers and help disperse oils or fragrance.
What does Peg-90 Glyceryl Isostearate do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a nonionic solubilizer, emulsifier, and viscosity builder, most often used in surfactant systems to thicken cleansers and help disperse oils or fragrance.
Is Peg-90 Glyceryl Isostearate clean?
From a clean-beauty lens, it carries friction because it is ethoxylated, which brings concern about trace manufacturing residues such as 1,4-dioxane unless well purified. Skin tolerance is generally good at cosmetic use levels, but many stricter standards restrict or exclude this class.
Is Peg-90 Glyceryl Isostearate sustainable?
This material is typically made from fatty-acid chemistry combined with petrochemical-derived ethoxylation, so its sourcing is only partly renewable. It is expected to have better biodegradability than many silicone or fluorinated materials, but the manufacturing route is not a strong fit for low-impact ingredient design.
Is Peg-90 Glyceryl Isostearate COSMOS-approved?
It is not permitted under COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic standards because ethoxylated materials are excluded. From a Green Chemistry perspective, the main drawbacks are petrochemical input, ethoxylation chemistry, and residue-control requirements.
How does Peg-90 Glyceryl Isostearate work chemically?
The molecule is a high-ethoxylate nonionic ester with a large water-loving segment attached to a branched fatty portion, which gives it solubilizing and thickening behavior in aqueous surfactant formulas. It is generally stable across typical cleanser pH ranges and is often paired with anionic or amphoteric surfactants to boost viscosity and improve oil dispersion.
Last updated 2026-05-13