PEG-150 Polyglyceryl-2 Tristearate is a chemical compound that is the triester of stearic acid and ethoxylated Polyglyceryl-2 containing an average of 150 moles of ethylene oxide. This compound is used in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and personal care industries for its emulsifying, thickening, and stabilizing properties.

Chemical Composition and Structure

PEG-150 Polyglyceryl-2 Tristearate is composed of esters formed by the reaction of stearic acid with Polyglyceryl-2 that has been ethoxylated with an average of 150 moles of ethylene oxide. The ethoxylation process introduces polyoxyethylene chains, enhancing the solubility and emulsifying properties of the compound.

Physical Properties

PEG-150 Polyglyceryl-2 Tristearate typically appears as a white to off-white solid or waxy substance. It is highly soluble in water and has a mild, neutral odor. The high degree of ethoxylation imparts excellent emulsifying, thickening, and stabilizing properties, making it suitable for various applications.

Production Process

Synthesis of Polyglyceryl-2: Glycerol is polymerized to produce Polyglyceryl-2, a polymer containing an average of 2 glycerol units.
Ethoxylation: The Polyglyceryl-2 is ethoxylated with an average of 150 moles of ethylene oxide, resulting in PEG-150 Polyglyceryl-2.
Esterification: The ethoxylated Polyglyceryl-2 is then reacted with stearic acid to form the triester. This esterification process links the carboxyl groups of stearic acid with the hydroxyl groups of the ethoxylated Polyglyceryl-2.
Purification: The resulting PEG-150 Polyglyceryl-2 Tristearate is 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 ester, including chemical and microbiological analyses.

Applications

Cosmetic Products: Used in creams, lotions, and emulsions for its emulsifying and thickening properties, enhancing the texture and stability of the formulations.
Skin Care: Ideal for products aimed at providing moisturizing and protective benefits due to its ability to improve skin barrier function and reduce water loss.
Hair Care: Incorporated into conditioners, hair masks, and styling products for its ability to thicken formulations and provide conditioning effects.
Pharmaceutical Products: Utilized in various formulations for its solubilizing and stabilizing properties, enhancing the delivery and stability of active ingredients.
Personal Care Products: Used in body washes, soaps, and other personal care items for its emulsifying and thickening effects.

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."

It is an ethoxylated product, but since 150 ethylene oxide units are not easily absorbed through the stratum corneum, it seems unlikely that skin penetration would cause damage.

INCI


Cleansing agent. Ingredient that cleanses skin without exploiting the surface-active properties that produce a lowering of the surface tension of the stratum corneum.

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.

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.
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