Roll Call

“PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate?”Here!

SurfactantEmulsifierSynthetic

Hasn’t appeared in a scanned product yet.

In personal care

An ingredient made by attaching polyethylene glycol (PEG) chains to glyceryl cocoate, which itself comes from coconut oil fatty acids and glycerin.

Why it’s used

It works as a mild surfactant and emulsifier, helping oil and water mix together and giving cleansers and lotions a smooth, non-stripping feel.

What the evidence says

We haven’t found a source for this one that you can open and check, so we’re not summarizing the evidence.

Look it up yourself

We would rather point you at the shelf than summarize something you can’t check. These are the same places we search:

  • PubChem — what the substance is, chemically — names, synonyms and structure
  • PubMed — every paper indexed by the US National Library of Medicine that names it

These are starting points, not our findings — we haven’t run them for you. A substance whose name is also an ordinary word (“Heart”, “Alanine”, “Water”) will return papers that are not about the ingredient at all.

Context

The contamination concern relates to manufacturing impurities and is addressed through purification and testing, not inherent to the ingredient's structure.

Rumors

  1. PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate restores the skin's natural barrier and locks in moisture.

    We haven’t found evidence strong enough to support this or rule it out.

    What was measured is not yet noted.

    Who’s saying this

  2. PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate is non-comedogenic and does not clog pores or cause acne.

    We haven’t found evidence strong enough to support this or rule it out.

    What was measured is not yet noted.

    Who’s saying this

  3. PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate benefits skin affected by eczema, psoriasis and other inflammatory conditions.

    We haven’t found evidence strong enough to support this or rule it out.

    What was measured is not yet noted.

    Who’s saying this

    • Lesielle — a brand: sells personalised adaptive skincare system (device and refills)
      How we know who this is
      • “¿En qué se diferencia Lesielle de otras marcas de tratamientos personalizados?” (their page)
      • “El sistema de cosmética personalizada para una piel en constante evolución, que utiliza ingredientes activos con eficacia científicamente probada para crear un tratamiento adaptado al Estado de la Piel de cada día.” (their page)

  4. PEG compounds contain high levels of the carcinogen 1,4-dioxane and should be avoided in skincare and beauty products.

    Does not support — establishedhealth and safety evidence

    A claim about polyethylene glycol (PEG) compounds as a group, not this substance alone.

    What was measured is not yet noted.

    Who’s saying this

    • mamasuds.com — we couldn’t open the site to see who runs it

  5. PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate can be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, a potentially dangerous, carcinogenic by-product of ethoxylation.

    Supports — establishedhealth and safety evidence

    Measured as a biomarker.

    Who’s saying this

    • The Derm Review — a publisher: skincare review site affiliated with Formulyst and Carrot & Stick, whose products it reviews and ranks
      How we know who this is
      • “The Derm Review launched in 2013 as a comprehensive resource on skincare products, cosmetic ingredients and beauty how to’s.” (their page)
      • “THIS SITE IS AFFILIATED WITH FORMULYST AND CARROT & STICK, WHOSE PRODUCTS ARE AMONG THOSE WE REVIEW AND RANK.” (their page)