Polysorbate 80

About This Product

Polysorbate 80 is produced by ethoxylating sorbitan monooleate with around 20 units of ethylene oxide. It carries CAS number 9005-65-6 and the INCI name Polysorbate 80, and is supplied as a clear to amber viscous liquid, fully water-soluble. Its HLB of approximately 15.0 places it, like Polysorbate 20, in the solubiliser range where micelles stay small enough to leave a solution transparent. The practical distinction between the two is chain length and saturation. Polysorbate 20 carries a short saturated lauric chain, which matches light, volatile materials such as fragrance and citrus oils. Polysorbate 80 carries a longer monounsaturated oleic chain, which gives its micelles a larger and more compatible oil-loving core, so it holds heavier and more lipophilic materials, vegetable oils, vitamin E, fat-soluble actives, that the lauric grade will not keep in clear solution. Formulators generally test both, because matching the solubiliser chain to the oil is more reliable than raising the dose. It is also widely used as a dispersant and a wetting agent, and it is the polysorbate most common in injectable pharmaceutical formulation. It is used in clear cosmetic solutions, oil cleansers, hair products, pharmaceutical and vaccine formulations, food emulsions and as an industrial dispersant. Bio Green Chem supplies Polysorbate 80 to specification on hydroxyl and saponification value, acid value, peroxide value, water content and heavy metals.