Polyglycerol-6 Ricinoleate ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a nonionic emulsifier and dispersing agent, especially useful for water-in-oil emulsions and pigment or oil dispersion. It can also add emollience and improve product spread.
What does Polyglycerol-6 Ricinoleate do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a nonionic emulsifier and dispersing agent, especially useful for water-in-oil emulsions and pigment or oil dispersion. It can also add emollience and improve product spread.
Is Polyglycerol-6 Ricinoleate clean?
From a clean beauty perspective, this ingredient is generally well-tolerated and not a common restricted-list concern. Sensitivity is uncommon, though any emulsifier can contribute to eye or skin sting in formulas with high surfactant load or poor pH fit.
Is Polyglycerol-6 Ricinoleate sustainable?
This material is typically made from plant-derived glycerol and castor oil fatty acids, so its sourcing can be largely renewable. It is expected to be biodegradable, with lower persistence concerns than silicone or fluorinated film-formers.
Is Polyglycerol-6 Ricinoleate COSMOS-approved?
It is permitted under COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic when made from compliant natural feedstocks and allowed esterification chemistry. It fits Green Chemistry reasonably well through renewable sourcing, biodegradability, and solvent-light processing, though supply-chain traceability still matters.
How does Polyglycerol-6 Ricinoleate work chemically?
The molecule is a nonionic ester built from a six-unit glycerol oligomer and a hydroxylated C18 fatty acid, giving it both oil affinity and interfacial activity. Typical use levels are often about 0.5% to 5%, and like many esters it is most stable in mildly acidic to neutral systems rather than very high or very low pH formulas.
Last updated 2026-05-13