PEG-75 SHEA BUTTER GLYCERIDES
PEG-75 Shea Butter Glycerides is a derivative of the glycerides in shea butter, a fatty material associated with Vitellaria paradoxa. The number 75 refers to an average of 75 ethylene oxide units attached to those glycerides, making it quite different from the unmodified shea butter commonly used in balms and body butters.
PEG-75 SHEA BUTTER GLYCERIDES: what it is
PEG-75 Shea Butter Glycerides is a derivative of the glycerides in shea butter, a fatty material associated with Vitellaria paradoxa. The number 75 refers to an average of 75 ethylene oxide units attached to those glycerides, making it quite different from the unmodified shea butter commonly used in balms and body butters.
Vitellaria paradoxa is the current botanical name for the tree; Butyrospermum parkii is the name still used in this derivative's technical description. Treating the glycerides with ethylene oxide creates a part that interacts more readily with water while retaining an oil-affine portion from shea butter. It should therefore not be expected to behave like an unmodified plant butter.
PEG-75 SHEA BUTTER GLYCERIDES: what it does in cosmetics
In cosmetics, PEG-75 Shea Butter Glycerides works as an emulsifier: it helps water and oily components stay mixed, so a cream or lotion is less likely to split into separate phases. That contributes to an even texture and more consistent application of the finished product.
It also serves as a cleansing agent. In rinse-off products, its water- and oil-affine structure helps disperse oily material while rinsing. Its main purpose is therefore the make-up and cleansing performance of a formula, rather than acting as a concentrated form of shea butter applied directly to the skin.
Products containing this ingredient
See which products include it and the name used in each composition.
