PEG-8 Cranberryate is a polyethylene glycol (PEG) derivative of cranberry extract, specifically designed to enhance solubility and stability in cosmetic and personal care formulations. It is used for its conditioning and moisturizing properties, as well as its ability to improve the texture and delivery of other active ingredients.

Chemical Composition and Structure:

PEG-8 Cranberryate is composed of:

Polyethylene Glycol (PEG): A polymer of ethylene glycol, which serves as a solubilizing agent and carrier. PEG-8 refers to a PEG compound with an average molecular weight of 8.
Cranberry Extract: Incorporated into the PEG structure, providing bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, phenolic acids, and vitamins. The cranberry extract retains its antioxidant properties within the PEG matrix.

Physical Properties:

Color: Clear to pale yellow.
Consistency: Viscous liquid.
Aroma: Mildly fruity or neutral.
Solubility: Soluble in water and compatible with a wide range of other ingredients in cosmetic formulations.
Production Process:

Extraction: Cranberry extract is obtained from the fruit using methods like steam distillation or hydro-extraction.
PEG Reaction: The cranberry extract is reacted with polyethylene glycol to form PEG-8 Cranberryate. This reaction typically involves blending the extract with PEG in controlled conditions.
Purification: The resulting product is purified to remove any residual reactants and ensure consistency.
Quality Control: The final product undergoes testing for stability, purity, and efficacy.

Applications:

Cosmetics: Used in skincare products such as serums, creams, and lotions for its moisturizing, conditioning, and stabilizing properties. It enhances the texture of formulations and improves the delivery of other active ingredients.
Hair Care: Incorporated into shampoos and conditioners to provide conditioning benefits and improve the texture and application of the product.
Personal Care: Utilized in various personal care products to enhance solubility and stability while delivering the benefits of cranberry extract.

Environmental and Safety Considerations:

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 Functions:


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.
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