PEG-2 Laurate

What Is It?

PEG Dilaurate (PEG-2 Dilaurate, PEG-4 Dilaurate, PEG-6 Dilaurate, PEG-8 Dilaurate, PEG-12 Dilaurate, PEG-20 Dilaurate, PEG-32 Dilaurate, PEG-75 Dilaurate, PEG-150 Dilaurate) and PEG Laurate (PEG-2 Laurate, PEG-2 Laurate SE, PEG-4 Laurate, PEG-6 Laurate, PEG-8 Laurate, PEG-9 Laurate, PEG-10 Laurate, PEG-12 Laurate, PEG-14 Laurate, PEG-20 Laurate, PEG-32 Laurate, PEG-75 Laurate, PEG-150 Laurate) ingredients range from pale yellow, oily liquids to tan, waxy solids. In cosmetics and personal care products, these ingredients are used in the formulation of a wide variety of products, such as shampoos, hair conditioners, personal cleanliness products, bath products, and skin care and skin cleansing products.

Why Is It Used?

PEG Dilaurate and PEG Laurate ingredients help to form emulsions by reducing the surface tension of the substances to be emulsified. They also clean the skin and hair by helping water to mix with oil and dirt so that they can be rinsed away.

Scientific Facts

Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) Dilaurate and PEG Laurate ingredients are produced from lauric acid, a naturally occurring fatty acid in coconut oil. PEG Dilaurate and PEG Laurate ingredients are manufactured by reacting lauric acid with a specific number of units of ethylene oxide. The average number of units of ethylene oxide is indicated by the number in the ingredient name.

Safety Information

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reviewed the safety of PEG Dilaurate ingredients and approved their use as indirect food additives for use as components of paper and paperboard used as food packaging. The safety of the PEG Dilaurate and PEG Laurate ingredients has been assessed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel. The CIR Expert Panel evaluated the scientific data and concluded that PEG-2, -4, -6, -8, -12, -20, -32, -75 and -150 Dilaurate and PEG-2, -4, -6, -8, -9, -10, -12, -14, -20, -32, -75, -150 Laurate and PEG-2 Laurate SE are safe for use in cosmetics and personal care products at concentrations up to 25%.

CIR Safety Review: The PEG Dilaurate and PEG Laurate ingredients are similar to the PEG Stearate and PEG Distearate ingredients, and to the components polyethylene glycol and lauric acid, all of which are addressed in previous safety assessments. Fatty acids such as lauric acid were absorbed, digested, and transported in the body. In short-term feeding studies, PEG Laurate ingredients were irritating to the gastrointestinal tract, but not necrotizing. In chronic oral toxicity studies, there was some evidence of liver damage and hyperplasia in several tissues.

PEG Stearate, and PEG Distearate ingredients did not cause reproductive or developmental toxicity, and were not carcinogenic. Likewise, PEGs were not carcinogenic. Although kidney toxicity was observed in burn patients treated with a PEG-based cream, no evidence of systemic toxicity or sensitization was found in studies with intact skin.

Based on the data on the PEG Dilaurate and the PEG Laurate ingredients, on the data available on the component ingredients, and on the data available on similar PEG fatty acid esters, it was concluded that these ingredients were safe for use in cosmetics and personal care products at concentrations up to 25%. Small amounts of 1,4-dioxane, a by-product of ethoxylation, may be found in the PEG Dilaurate and PEG Laurate ingredients. The potential presence of this material is well known and can be controlled through purification steps to remove it from the ingredients before blending into cosmetic formulations.

More information about what the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is doing to assure that cosmetics do not contain unsafe levels of 1,4-dioxane.

FDA Code of Federal Regulations for Polyethylene Glycol Dilaurate 

PEG Dilaurate and PEG Laurate ingredients may be used in cosmetics and personal care products marketed in Europe according to the general provisions of the Cosmetics Regulation of the European Union.

EU Cosmetic Regulation

More Scientific Information

PEG Dilaurate and PEG Laurate ingredients are the diesters and monoesters, respectively, of polyethylene glycol and lauric acid. PEG-2 Laurate SE is a self-emulsifying grade of PEG-2 Laurate that contains sodium and/or potassium laurate. In cosmetics and personal care products, these ingredients function as surfactant – emulsifying agents and surfactant – cleansing agents.

Resources

Find out more about the regulation of Food Additives by the Food and Drug Administration