Deceth-8 is a polyoxyethylene ether of decyl alcohol which is used as emulsifier in cosmetic products.
Polyalkylene glycol ethers are non-ionic compounds whose lipophilic part consists of fatty alcohols, e.g. decyl 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. Deceth-8, for example, is the INCI designation for a polyoxyethylene ether with 8 ethylene oxide units per mol.