A phosphate ester of ethoxylated oleyl alcohol, used as a cleansing surfactant.
What it is
Oleth-5 phosphate is the phosphate ester of oleth-5, the polyethylene glycol ether of oleyl alcohol (an unsaturated C18 alcohol) with an average of 5 ethylene oxide units; it is an anionic surfactant. CosIng lists it as a cleansing surfactant.
Where it is used
Appears on the ingredient lists of a small number of products.
Limits of interpretation
The INCI list shows which ingredients are present, not how much of each. Above 1%, ingredients are listed in descending order of weight; below 1% the order is free.
The number 5 is an average, so the raw material is a mixture of molecules of different sizes.
Functions
- Surfactant – cleansing
- Wetting body surfaces, emulsifying or solubilizing oils, and suspending soil (generally, such ingredients contribute to the foaming and lathering properties of cleansing products).
EU regulation
This ingredient is not listed in the annexes of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 in the CosIng data.