Is Ceteareth-20 bad for your skin? Is it safe?

I want to choose good cosmetics

Just like food, I want to choose the best possible cosmetics.

I think most people who want to live a healthy lifestyle feel the same way.

But when I tried to choose cosmetics and looked at the ingredients, I was met with a long list of names written in katakana.
There are a lot of "good looking" products out there, but it's hard to know which ones are really good.

In this article, we will explain one such ingredient, ceteareth-20.
Is it good for your skin? Is it harmful? We will explain the points you are concerned about in an easy-to-understand manner. Please read to the end.

What is Ceteareth-20?

Ceteareth-20, which is incorporated into cosmetics, has various functions.

Surfactants

Surfactants are the main components of face washes, cleansers, and body soaps. They remove oil and emulsify the skin, lifting dirt so it can be washed away.
Ceteareth-20 is a surfactant that is used in many cleansing products, such as facial cleansers and body soaps.

Emulsifiers and stabilizers

Most cosmetics contain both water-based and oil-based ingredients. Water and oil do not mix. Therefore, even if you mix water and oil, they will separate over time. If the ingredients in a cosmetic product separate inside the container, it will not be a viable product.

That's where emulsifiers come in. Emulsifiers stabilize the mixture of water and oil so that they don't separate, and are found in most cosmetics that contain both water-based and oil-based ingredients.

Ceteareth-20 is also used in cosmetics as an emulsifier.

Penetration enhancers

As the name suggests, penetration enhancers help substances penetrate deeper into the skin.

Ceteareth-20 is incorporated into a variety of cosmetics for these purposes.

Where does Ceteareth-20 come from?

The base of Ceteareth is cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol, which are substances extracted from coconut and palm oils, and is made by mixing them with ethylene oxide to cause a chemical reaction.

The "20" in Ceteareth-20 indicates that 20 moles of ethylene oxide are used. Depending on the ethylene oxide used, the number changes to "Ceteareth-10," "Ceteareth-13," or "Ceteareth-25."

It is said that there are currently about 30 types of ceteareth ingredients registered.

Ceteareth also works well with other cosmetic ingredients, which is why it is widely used in the following products:

• Skin care products such as lotion, milky lotion, and cream
• Facial cleanser and body soap
• Hair Care Products
• Sunscreen
• Hair dyes and hair colours
• Tinting Agent

Is Ceteareth-20 safe?

The CIR , which evaluates the safety of cosmetic ingredients, has deemed 34 types of ceteareth, including ceteareth-20, safe for use in cosmetics.

But just to be safe, here's something you should know.

Cetearese is actually a member of the PEG (polyethylene glycol) family. Like PEG, it is manufactured using ethylene oxide , which undergoes ethoxylation during the manufacturing process.

Ethoxylation produces 1,4-dioxane, a known carcinogen that easily penetrates the skin and has been linked to skin allergies.

If Ceteareth-20 is properly purified before being added to cosmetics, 1,4-dioxane will be removed, meaning it is unlikely to contaminate cosmetics.

However, a survey conducted in the United States in 2008 reported that 1,4-dioxane was detected in 47% of cosmetics. The current situation means that we cannot say with absolute certainty that all cosmetics are free of 1,4-dioxane.

What if highly toxic substances were mixed into cosmetics?

The penetration enhancer ceteareth-20 may help these chemicals penetrate the body and enter the bloodstream more quickly.

Other ingredients to watch out for besides Ceteareth-20

Ceteareth-20 is not the only product that may be contaminated with 1,4 dioxane.
The following ingredients are also ethoxylated during the manufacturing process. Keep this in mind if you want to avoid them:

• ~Laures
• ~Oles
• PEG
• Polysorbate
• polyethylene
• Polyethylene glycol
• Polyoxyethylene
• Oxynol

This time we explained about Ceteareth-20. What did you think? Please learn about its characteristics and potential risks and use it as a reference when choosing cosmetics.