Polyglycerol esters made from shea butter, listed as an emollient and emulsifying surfactant.
What it is
Shea butter polyglyceryl-6 esters are the product obtained by transesterification of shea butter, from Butyrospermum parkii, with polyglycerin-6, a polyglycerol with an average of six glycerol units. CosIng lists them as an emollient and emulsifying 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 INCI name refers to a mixture of esters, not a single compound.
Functions
- Skin conditioning – emollient
- Acting as lubricants on the skin surface providing the skin with a soft and smooth appearance.
- Surfactant – emulsifying
- Helping suspensions or dispersions of liquids in a second liquid by reducing the surface tension of the substances to be emulsified.
EU regulation
This ingredient is not listed in the annexes of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 in the CosIng data.

