PEG-50 Castor Oil

What Is It?

PEG-8 Castor Oil, PEG-9 Castor Oil, PEG-10 Castor Oil, PEG-11 Castor Oil, PEG-15 Castor Oil, PEG-16 Castor Oil, PEG-20 Castor Oil, PEG-25 Castor Oil, PEG-26 Castor Oil, PEG-29 Castor Oil, PEG-44 Castor Oil, PEG-50 Castor Oil, PEG-54 Castor Oil, PEG-55 Castor Oil, PEG-60 Castor Oil, PEG-75 Castor Oil, PEG-80 Castor Oil, PEG-100 Castor Oil and PEG-200 Castor Oil are polyethylene glycol derivatives of castor oil. PEG-8 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-10 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-16 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-20 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-25 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-35 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-45 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-50 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-54 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-55 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-65 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-80 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-100 Hydrogenated Castor Oil and PEG-200 Hydrogenated Castor Oil are polyethylene glycol derivatives of hydrogenated castor oil. In cosmetics and personal care products, the PEG Castor Oil and PEG Hydrogenated Castor Oil ingredients are used in the formulation of a wide variety of products including bath products, aftershave lotions, skin care products, cleansing products, deodorants, fragrances, makeup, hair conditioners, shampoos, hair care products, personal cleanliness products, and nail polish and enamels.

Why Is It Used?

The following functions have been reported for the PEG Castor Oil and PEG Hydrogenated Castor Oil ingredients.

Skin conditioning agent – emollient – PEG-8 Castor Oil, PEG-9 Castor Oil, PEG-10 Castor Oil, PEG-11 Castor Oil, PEG-15 Castor Oil, PEG-16 Castor Oil, PEG-8 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-10 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-16 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-65 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
SurfactantAn ingredient that helps two substances that normally do not mix to become dissolved or dispersed in one another. Also called a surface active agent. – cleansing agent – PEG-10 Castor Oil, PEG-44 Castor Oil, PEG-50 Castor Oil, PEG-54 Castor Oil, PEG-55 Castor Oil, PEG-60 Castor Oil, PEG-80 Castor Oil, PEG-100 Castor Oil, PEG-200 Castor Oil, PEG-45 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-50 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-54 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-55 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-80 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-100 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-200 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Surfactant – emulsifying agent – PEG-8 Castor Oil, PEG-9 Castor Oil, PEG-10 Castor Oil, PEG-11 Castor Oil, PEG-15 Castor Oil, PEG-16 Castor Oil, PEG-20 Castor Oil, PEG-25 Castor Oil, PEG-26 Castor Oil, PEG-29 Castor Oil, PEG-8 Hydrogenated Castor Oil,PEG-10 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-16 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-20 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-25 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-35 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-65 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Surfactant – solubilizing agent – PEG-26 Castor Oil, PEG-29 Castor Oil, PEG-44 Castor Oil, PEG-50 Castor Oil, PEG-54 Castor Oil, PEG-55 Castor Oil, PEG-60 Castor Oil, PEG-75 Castor Oil, PEG-80 Castor Oil, PEG-100 Castor Oil, PEG-200 Castor Oil, PEG-35 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-45 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-50 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-54 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-55 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-80 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-100 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-200 Hydrogenated Castor Oil

Scientific Facts

PEG Castor Oil and PEG Hydrogenated Castor Oil ingredients are produced from castor oil and hydrogenated castor oil, respectively. Castor oil is obtained by the cold pressing of seeds of the Ricinus communis plant followed by clarification of the oil by heat.

Safety Information

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) includes castor oil on its list of flavoring agents and related substances permitted for direct addition to food. PEG Castor Oil ingredients (molecular weight 400-3,000) may also be used as indirect food additives in textiles and textile fabrics in components of articles intended for repeated use. The Cosmetic Ingredient ReviewThe Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) was established in 1976 as an independent safety review program for cosmetic ingredients. The CIR Expert Panel consists of independent experts in dermatology, toxicology, pharmacolgy and veterinary medicine. The CIR includes participation by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and the Consumer Federation of America. (CIR) Expert Panel reviewed the safety of the related ingredients PEG-30 Castor Oil, PEG-33 Castor Oil, PEG-35 Castor Oil, PEG-36 Castor Oil and PEG-40 Castor Oil and found them safe for use in cosmetics and personal care products at concentrations up to 50%. PEG-30 Hydrogenated Castor Oil and PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil were found safe for use at concentrations up to 100%. Please search this website for more information about the CIR review of these related ingredients which differ from other PEG Castor Oil and PEG Hydrogenated Castor Oil only by the average number of ethylene oxide units.

Small amounts of 1,4-dioxane, a by-product of ethoxylation, may be found in the PEG Castor Oil and PEG Hydrogenated Castor Oil 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.

Link to 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.
http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductandIngredientSafety/PotentialContami…

FDA: Link to Code of Federal Regulations for castor oil and PEG castor oil

PEG Castor Oils and PEG Hydrogenated Castor Oils may be used in Europe according to the general provisions of the Cosmetics Regulation of the European UnionUnder the general provisions of the cosmetics regulation of the EU, ingredients appearing on the following function-specific annexes must comply with the listed restrictions and/or specifications: colorants (Annex IV), preservatives (Annex V), UV filters (Annex VI) and other ingredients with specific concentration limits and/or other restrictions (Annex III). Ingredients specifically prohibited from use in cosmetic products are listed in Annex II. Other ingredients listed in the EU cosmetic ingredient database (CosIng) may be used without restrictions..

Link to the EU Cosmetic Regulation:
http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/consumers/product_labelling_and_p…

More Scientific Information

PEG Castor Oils and PEG Hydrogenated Castor Oils are predominantly glyceryl triricinoleyl polyethylene glycols and tri-12-hydroxylstearyl polyethylene glycols, respectively. These castor oil-derived ingredients include various chain lengths, depending on the quantity of ethylene oxide used in synthesis. The average number of units of ethylene oxide is indicated by the number in the name of the ingredient.

Resources

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

Food Ingredients and Packaging: http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/default.htm

Food Contact Substances: http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/PackagingFCS/defaul…

Substances Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS“GRAS” is an acronym for the phrase Generally Recognized As Safe. Under sections 201(s) and 409 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act), any substance that is intentionally added to food is a food additive, that is subject to premarket review and approval by FDA, unless the substance is generally recognized, among qualified experts, as having been adequately shown to be safe under the conditions of its intended use, or unless the use of the substance is otherwise excluded from the definition of a food additive.): http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/GRAS/default.htm

Search the Code of Federal Regulations http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm

EU Cosmetics Inventory http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/cosmetics/cosing/