Isoceteth-20

Isoceteth-20
Names
	Other names Polyethylene glycol monoisohexadecyl ether; Polyethylene glycol isocetyl ether
Identifiers
CAS Number	69364-63-2 ;
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image; n=1: Interactive image;
ChemSpider	none;
ECHA InfoCard	100.166.838
EC Number	218-373-5;
PubChem CID	n=1: 16492;
UNII	O020065R7Z ;
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)	DTXSID60858847, DTXSID80891670 DTXSID00858846, DTXSID60858847, DTXSID80891670 ;
	InChI n=1: InChI=1S/C18H38O2/c1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-17-20-18-16-19/h19H,2-18H2,1H3 Key: FSAMVJAGJWGWTQ-UHFFFAOYSA-N;
	SMILES CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCOCCOCCOCCOCCOCCOCCOCCOCCOCCOCCOCCOCCOCCOCCOCCOCCOCCOCCOCCOCCO; n=1: CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCOCCO;
Properties
Chemical formula	HO(C2H4O)nC16H33; n ≈ 20
Molar mass	variable
Appearance	White waxy solid
Density	1.0
Solubility	Soluble in water, propylene glycol, ethanol
	Surface tension:
HLB	15.7
	Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). verify (what is ?) Infobox references

Isoceteth-20 is a polyethylene glycol ether formed by the ethoxylation of isocetyl alcohol (branched C₁₆ fatty alcohols); with the general formula HO(C₂H₄O)_nC₁₆H₃₃ where n has an average value of 20. It is a nonionic surfactant used as an oil-in-water emulsifier (e.g. perfume solubilizer), skin cleanser, and foam stabilizer in personal care products.^[2]^[3]^[4]

References

^ Ash, Michael (1991). Handbook of Industrial Chemical Additives. New York, NY: Wiley-VCH. p. 53. ISBN 978-1-56081-521-1.
^ Hollis, Gordon L. (31 October 2007). Surfactants Europa. Vol. 3. Royal Society of Chemistry. p. 169. doi:10.1039/9781847551979. ISBN 978-1-84755-197-9.
^ Kumar, Promod; Mittal, K. L. (2 May 2018). Handbook of Microemulsion Science and Technology. CRC Press. p. 777. ISBN 978-1-351-44234-3.
^ "Isoceteth-20 (Explained + Products)". INCIDecoder. Retrieved 20 December 2025.