The INCI names ceteareth-n (where ''n'' is a number) refer to

polyoxyethylene Polyethylene glycol (PEG; ) is a polyether compound derived from petroleum with many applications, from industrial manufacturing to medicine. PEG is also known as polyethylene oxide (PEO) or polyoxyethylene (POE), depending on its molecular we ...

ether In organic chemistry, ethers are a class of compounds that contain an ether group—an oxygen atom connected to two alkyl or aryl groups. They have the general formula , where R and R′ represent the alkyl or aryl groups. Ethers can again b ...

s of a mixture of high

molecular mass The molecular mass (''m'') is the mass of a given molecule: it is measured in daltons (Da or u). Different molecules of the same compound may have different molecular masses because they contain different isotopes of an element. The related quanti ...

saturated

fatty alcohol Fatty alcohols (or long-chain alcohols) are usually high-molecular-weight, straight-chain primary alcohols, but can also range from as few as 4–6 carbons to as many as 22–26, derived from natural fats and oils. The precise chain length varies ...

s, mainly

cetyl alcohol Cetyl alcohol , also known as hexadecan-1-ol and palmityl alcohol, is a C-16 fatty alcohol with the formula CH3(CH2)15OH. At room temperature, cetyl alcohol takes the form of a waxy white solid or flakes. The name cetyl derives from the whale oil ...

(''m'' = 15) and stearyl alcohol (''m'' = 17). The number ''n'' indicates the average number of ethylene oxide residues in the polyoxyethylene chain. These compounds are non-ionic surfactants that work by attracting both water and oil at the same time, frequently used as

emulsifier An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally immiscible (unmixable or unblendable) owing to liquid-liquid phase separation. Emulsions are part of a more general class of two-phase systems of matter called colloids. Altho ...

s in

soap Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are used a ...

s and

cosmetics Cosmetics are constituted mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources, or synthetically created ones. Cosmetics have various purposes. Those designed for personal care and skin care can be used to cleanse or protec ...

List of ceteareth compounds

* Ceteareth-2 * Ceteareth-3 * Ceteareth-4 * Ceteareth-5 * Ceteareth-6 * Ceteareth-7 * Ceteareth-8 * Ceteareth-9 * Ceteareth-10 * Ceteareth-11 * Ceteareth-12 * Ceteareth-13 * Ceteareth-15 * Ceteareth-16 * Ceteareth-17 * Ceteareth-18 * Ceteareth-20 (CAS # 68439-49-6) * Ceteareth-22 * Ceteareth-23 * Ceteareth-25 * Ceteareth-27 * Ceteareth-28 * Ceteareth-29 * Ceteareth-30 * Ceteareth-33 * Ceteareth-34 * Ceteareth-40 * Ceteareth-50 * Ceteareth-55 * Ceteareth-60 * Ceteareth-80 * Ceteareth-100

References

{{reflist Ethers Cosmetics chemicals