Hazelnut Seed Oil PEG-8 Esters is the product obtained by the transesterification of Corylus avellana (Hazelnut) Seed Oil and PEG-8. This compound is widely used in the cosmetic industry for its emulsifying, moisturizing, and skin-conditioning properties.

Chemical Composition and Structure

Hazelnut Seed Oil PEG-8 Esters is composed of esters formed from the fatty acids in hazelnut seed oil and PEG-8 (Polyethylene Glycol with an average of 8 ethylene oxide units). The combination of these components provides excellent emulsifying properties and enhances the hydrating and nourishing effects on the skin.

Physical Properties

Hazelnut Seed Oil PEG-8 Esters typically appears as a clear to pale yellow liquid with a mild nutty aroma. It is soluble in water and oils, making it suitable for various formulations, including oil-in-water and water-in-oil emulsions.

Production Process

Harvesting and Selection: Hazelnuts are harvested and carefully selected to ensure the quality of the seed oil.
Oil Extraction: The oil is extracted from the hazelnut seeds using methods such as cold pressing or solvent extraction.
Transesterification: The extracted oil undergoes a transesterification process with PEG-8. This process involves reacting the fatty acids in the oil with PEG-8 in the presence of a catalyst under controlled conditions.
Purification: The resulting esters are purified to remove any unreacted materials and by-products, ensuring a high-quality final product.
Quality Control: Rigorous quality tests are conducted to evaluate the purity, stability, and composition of the esters, including chemical and microbiological analyses.

Applications

Cosmetic Products: Used in creams, lotions, and serums for its emulsifying and moisturizing properties, improving the texture and hydration of the skin.
Skin Care: Ideal for products aimed at providing long-lasting moisture and enhancing skin smoothness without a greasy feel.
Hair Care: Incorporated into conditioners, hair masks, and treatments for its ability to provide nourishment and manageability to the hair.
Personal Care Products: Used in various formulations such as body oils, bath oils, and lip care products for its lightweight and non-greasy emollient properties.

Cosmetic Safety

PEG (Polyethylene glycol) polymerize condensed ethylene oxide and water and are referred to as polyethylene glycols, but they are actually complex chemical components, polymers bonded together. For example, plastic is polyethylene and has a hard consistency, while polyethylene aggregated with glycol forms a liquid. PEGylation is produced not only as heterification but also as transesterification, which is the transformation of an alcohol by an ester.
The number that appears after the abbreviation PEG represents the molecular weight, and the higher this number is, the less it penetrates the skin.
The term 'eth' refers to the ethoxylation reaction with ethylene oxide after which residues of ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane, chemical compounds considered carcinogenic, may remain. The degree of safety therefore depends on the degree of purity of the compound obtained. No manufacturer appears to provide this information on the label, at least as of the date of this review.
Kim MC, Park SY, Kwon SY, Kim YK, Kim YI, Seo YS, Cho SM, Shin EC, Mok JH, Lee YB. Application of Static Headspace GC-MS Method for Selective 1,4-Dioxane Detection in Food Additives. Foods. 2023 Sep 2;12(17):3299. doi: 10.3390/foods12173299.
Abstract. "Efficient detection methods must be developed for 1,4-dioxane due to its suspected status as a human carcinogen, which is highly mobile in food and environmental resources. In this regard, this experiment has been conducted to develop reliable and selective detection and measurement methods by using static headspace (SH) isolation, followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A new method was developed for determining the spiked 1,4-dioxane contents in a polyethylene glycol 600 (PEG 600). The optimal condition for SH-GC-MS was discussed. The representative ions of 1,4-dioxane and 1,4-dioxane-d8 in the SIM mode of MS are 88 and 96, respectively, and the peaks of the SIM mode were separated and confirmed. The linear range for the method covers 0.25 to 100 mg/L with a coefficient of determination (R2) ≥ 0.999. The method applicability was demonstrated by spike recovery across a variety of food additives (i.e., chlorine bitartrate, choline chloride, polysorbate 20 and 60, and PEG 1000). All spike recovery from the tested samples was in the range of 89.50-102.68% with a precision of 0.44-11.22%. These findings suggest a new analytical method for food safety inspection, and could be applicable for ensuring the safety of foods and environmental and public health on a broad scale."

INCI


Surfactant - Emulsifying agent. Emulsions are thermodynamically unstable and are used to soothe or soften the skin and emulsify, so they need a specific, stabilising ingredient. This ingredient forms a film, lowers the surface tension and makes two immiscible liquids miscible. A very important factor affecting the stability of the emulsion is the amount of the emulsifying agent. Emulsifiers have the property of reducing the oil/water or water/oil interfacial tension, improving the stability of the emulsion and also directly influencing the stability, sensory properties and surface tension of sunscreens by modulating the filmometric performance.

Emulsion stabiliser. Emulsions are thermodynamically unstable. Emulsion stabilisers improve the formation and stability of single and double emulsions. as well as their shelf-life. It should be noted that in the structure-function relationship, the molar mass of the ingredient used plays an important role.

Skin conditioning agent. It is the mainstay of topical skin treatment as it has the function of restoring, increasing or improving skin tolerance to external factors, including melanocyte tolerance. The most important function of the conditioning agent is to prevent skin dehydration, but the subject is rather complex and involves emollients and humectants that can be added in the formulation.

Surfactant - Cleansing agent. Cosmetic products used to cleanse the skin utilise the surface-active action that produces a lowering of the surface tension of the stratum corneum, facilitating the removal of dirt and impurities.
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