Polysorbate 60 (Polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate or Sorbomacrogol stearate 300) is a chemical compound produced by the reaction of lauric acid, ethylene oxide and sorbitol through ethoxylation of sorbitan monolaurate. Polysorbate is a sugar alcohol, sorbitol, which is transformed into sorbitan by a dehydration process and then passes through ethoxylation before lauric acid is added. The number 60 indicates the molecule with 60 repeated polyethylene glycol units.
It appears as a white powder or as a stable yellowish viscous liquid. Incompatible with strong oxidising agents. Soluble in water, ethanol, methanol, carbinol, isopropanol, isopropyl alcohol and other solvents, insoluble in mineral oil.
What it is used for and where
Chemical auxiliary agent, chemical intermediate, hydrophilic and non-ionic surfactant. Generally regarded as a fatty acid ethoxylated sorbitan ester.
Food
Ingredient included in the list of European food additives as E435 with an emulsifying function.
Cosmetics
Surfactant - Emulsifying agent. Emulsions are thermodynamically unstable and are used to soothe or soften the skin and emulsify, so they need a specific, stabilising ingredient. This ingredient forms a film, lowers the surface tension and makes two immiscible liquids miscible. A very important factor affecting the stability of the emulsion is the amount of the emulsifying agent. Emulsifiers have the property of reducing the oil/water or water/oil interfacial tension, improving the stability of the emulsion and also directly influencing the stability, sensory properties and surface tension of sunscreens by modulating the filmometric performance.
Surfactant - Cleansing agent. Cosmetic products used to cleanse the skin utilise the surface-active action that produces a lowering of the surface tension of the stratum corneum, facilitating the removal of dirt and impurities.
Safety
The EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources recalls that the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) established an acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 25 mg/kg body weight (bw/day) as a group ADI for polysorbates 20, 40, 60, 65 and 80, while the Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) established a group ADI of 10 mg/kg bw/day.
Small amounts of polyoxyethylene sorbitan are absorbed. Similar toxicokinetics are expected for all polysorbates, based on their structural similarities and metabolic fate. Acute toxicity is very low. There are no concerns regarding genotoxicity, carcinogenicity or developmental toxicity. From a limited number of studies, there is no indication of reproductive toxicity.
The Panel recommended reviewing the maximum limits for impurities of toxic elements — arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury — laid down in the EC specifications for polysorbates (E432–E436), in order to ensure that polysorbates (E432–E436) used as food additives do not constitute a significant source of exposure to these toxic elements in food (1).
- Molecular Formula C22H42O8
- Molecular Weight 434.6 g/mol
- CAS 9005-67-8
- UNII CAL22UVI4M
- EC Number
