Polyethylene glycol monolaurate

Polyethylene glycol monolaurate is a nonionic ester surfactant produced by esterifying polyethylene glycol with lauric acid. It functions as an emulsifier, dispersant, and foam control agent across food, personal care, and industrial manufacturing applications.

Identified by CAS 9004-81-3, this versatile chemical acts as an emulsifier in baked goods, shortenings, and dairy-based formulations. It is essential where stable fat-in-water dispersion is required for high-quality food processing.

Personal care formulators use it to build stable emulsions in lotions, creams, and hair conditioners. Its humectant character supports moisture retention in leave-on products, making it a staple in cosmetic science and dermatology.

Textile and leather processing operations employ it as a lubricant and dispersing agent during fiber treatment and dyeing. This improves process uniformity and ensures consistent quality across large-scale industrial manufacturing runs.

In coatings and adhesive systems, it functions as a defoamer and rheology modifier. This helps control viscosity and surface behavior during application, ensuring that industrial coatings adhere correctly to various substrates.

The product is supplied as a liquid or low-melting waxy solid, depending on the molecular weight of the PEG chain. It is available in food-grade and technical-grade specifications to meet diverse regulatory needs.

PEG chain lengths typically range from PEG-2 to PEG-20 variants to suit different HLB requirements. Drum and IBC quantities are standard for industrial supply, ensuring efficient logistics for global B2B chemical procurement.