Ethoxylated ingredients
Never allowed
Laureth-4 · Laureth-23 · Ceteareth-20 · Steareth-10 · Steareth-21 · Oleth-3 · Trideceth · Sorbeth · Glycereth · Myreth
The whole family of ingredients ending in -eth, made by reacting a fatty alcohol with ethylene oxide.
- What it does
- Emollient & barrier
- Our take
- This is the process behind PEGs and polysorbates and the reason both are on this list. Ethoxylation uses ethylene oxide, a known human carcinogen, and can leave behind 1,4-dioxane, a probable one. Neither has to be declared. We hold the whole family out rather than trust an undisclosed purification step. To be precise: we claim no ethoxylated ingredients, verified from ingredient lists, not zero 1,4-dioxane, which would need lab testing we don't do.
- Can it clog pores
- High. We flag it for anyone whose skin congests easily. This flag is for the face only, it does not apply to body, hair or home care.
where we disagree
Laureth-4, laureth-23, steareth-10 and oleth-3 are each independently named as pore-cloggers by acne clinics. Different evidence, same answer.
What we read
- IARC; EU CosIng · reviewed Sep 2026
Every other ingredient, with the same treatment.
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