INCI names / Polysorbate 20
Polysorbate 20 INCI name
The INCI name for polysorbate 20 is Polysorbate 20. A lotion, balm or bath product lists it by that name. In cold-process soap it is an ester, so the lye saponifies it, at least in part, so the tools list it as added and flag it for you to check.
| In lotions, balms and other cosmetics | Polysorbate 20 |
|---|---|
| In cold-process soap | It is an ester, so the lye saponifies it, at least in part. The tools list it as added, "Polysorbate 20", following Article 19(1)(g) of the Cosmetics Regulation ("at the time they are added"), and flag it for you to check. To name what the bar holds instead, add inci: with that name to the line. |
| On a US label | Polysorbate 20 |
| In Great Britain and Northern Ireland | The same name as the EU. Northern Ireland uses the EU glossary cited below; Great Britain still uses the glossary it kept from the EU, where the name has another entry number. |
| What it is used for (CosIng) | surfactant (emulsifying), surfactant (cleansing) |
| Also entered as | tween 20 |
Glossary citation: Polysorbate 20 #22319 (Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1175 on EUR-Lex).
In the soap or skincare tool, put it on its own line with its weight, for example "polysorbate 20, 5", and the tool prints the name for the region you choose.
Transcribed from the EU glossary of common ingredient names (Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1175) and checked against it; the US names are the ones FDA's substance registry (GSRS) records, and the uses are those CosIng, the Commission's cosmetic ingredient database, lists. A labelling reference.