Cetoleth (inci)

The polyoxyethylene ethers of unsaturated cetostearyl alcohol are referred to as cetoleth (e) (for comparison see e.g. laurethe, steareth). Polyalkylene glycol ethers are non-ionic compounds whose lipophilic part consists of fatty alcohols, e.g. cetostearyl alcohol. The hydrophilic part is formed by short-chain polyethylene glycols (polyoxyethylene). In the designation of fatty alcohol polyglycol ethers, the inserted numbering means the average number of ethylene oxide units per mole. Cetoleth-10, for example, is the INCI designation for a polyoxyethylene ether with 10 ethylene oxide units per mol.

Common representatives of the cetolethe are: Cetoleth-11, Cetoleth-22 (emulsifiers), Cetoleth-6, Cetoleth-10, Cetoleth-15, Cetoleth-20, Cetoleth-24, Cetoleth-25 (surfactants)