Ceteareth-80

Ceteareth-80 (CAS 68439-49-6) is a high-ethoxylate nonionic surfactant produced by ethoxylating C16-18 fatty alcohols. Also marketed as Cetomacrogol 1000.

Where is Ceteareth-80 used?

• Personal care: emulsifier and solubilizer with approximately 80 moles of ethylene oxide per molecule
• Cosmetic creams and lotions: stabilizes oil-in-water emulsions and improves texture consistency, particularly in formulations requiring high HLB emulsification
• Home care and industrial cleaning: solubilizes actives and boosts surface wetting on hard-to-clean substrates
• Textile processing: wetting and scouring agent that helps aqueous baths penetrate fiber structures evenly
• Paper and leather finishing: improves surface uniformity and aids dispersion of treatment chemicals
• It acts as a wetting agent across personal care, cleaning, and industrial formulations.

Good to know: Buyers sourcing for pharmaceutical or personal care applications should confirm compliance with relevant pharmacopoeial standards. Some grades align with BP or Ph. Eur. monographs for ethoxylated cetostearyl alcohols used in medical applications.

Commercial specifications

• Approximately 80 moles of ethylene oxide per molecule