Co-surfactants (Emulsifiers)
What is Co-surfactants (Emulsifiers)?
Venus Ethoxyethers manufactures high-quality co-surfactants and emulsifiers for cosmetic and personal care formulations—including steareth, ceteareth, laureth, oleth, and glycereth grades that stabilize oil-in-water emulsions and tune skin feel in creams, lotions, and cleansers.
What is Co-surfactants (Emulsifiers) used for?
PEG fatty acid esters (stearates, laurates, oleates) and PPG emollients are covered in separate product lines — see the cosmetic emulsifiers INCI hub for the full 30-ingredient map with links to PEG stearates, PEG laurates & oleates, and PPG ethers. Venus Ethoxyethers manufactures and supplies in India; request a quote for your requirements.
Venus Ethoxyethers manufactures high-quality co-surfactants and emulsifiers for cosmetic and personal care formulations—including steareth, ceteareth, laureth, oleth, and glycereth grades that stabilize oil-in-water emulsions and tune skin feel in creams, lotions, and cleansers.
INCI co-surfactant & emulsifier grades
| INCI name | HLB (approx.) | Primary function | Detailed guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steareth-2 | ~5 | Co-emulsifier, W/O support | Ethoxylated alcohols |
| Steareth-20 / Steareth-21 | ~15 | O/W emulsifier | Ethoxylated alcohols |
| CETEARETH-20 | ~15–16 | Primary O/W emulsifier | Ceteareth guide |
| CETETH-2 | ~5–6 | Lipophilic co-emulsifier | Ceteth guide |
| CETETH-20 | ~15 | O/W emulsifier | Ceteth guide |
| LAURETH-4 | ~9.7 | Oil cleanser, mild cleansing | Laureth guide |
| LAURETH-12 | ~14.8 | O/W emulsifier, body wash | Laureth guide |
| LAURETH-23 | ~16.9 | Solubilizer, high-HLB emulsifier | Laureth guide |
| OLETH-10 | ~12.4 | Emulsifier, solubilizer | Oleth guide |
| OLETH-20 | ~15.3 | O/W emulsifier | Oleth guide |
| Glycereth-7 | High | Humectant, lubricity | Glycereth guide |
| GLYCERETH-26 | ~18.4 | Humectant, emollient, lubricant | Glycereth guide |
PEG fatty acid esters (stearates, laurates, oleates) and PPG emollients are covered in separate product lines — see the cosmetic emulsifiers INCI hub for the full 30-ingredient map with links to PEG stearates, PEG laurates & oleates, and PPG ethers.
Application areas
These emulsifiers serve anti-perspirants, depilatories, skin creams, hair conditioners, baby products, and bath and shower formulations. HLB-guided selection with primary emulsifiers ensures long-term stability and elegant texture — use the HLB scale guide to match emulsifier pairs to your oil phase.
INCI emulsifier article series
- Cosmetic emulsifiers hub — overview of all INCI families
- Ceteareth & Ceteth — CETEARETH-20, CETETH-2, CETETH-20
- Laureth & Oleth — LAURETH-4/12/23, OLETH-10/20
- Glycereth & PEG lanolin — GLYCERETH-26, PEG-75 lanolin
- Personal care surfactants guide — formulation examples
See also emulsification overview and polysorbates. Contact Venus for INCI documentation, TDS, and samples.
| INCI DESIGNATION | APPLICATION | PROPERTIES/COMMENTS |
|---|---|---|
| Ceteth-2 | Skin care creams and lotions | Produces fine textured creams. Stable over wide pH range |
| Ceteth-20 EO | Skin care, Hair care, Color cosmetics, Sun care | Imparts body and viscosity to creams, stable over wide pH range |
| Laureth-4 EO | Anti-perspirants, depilators, cuticle removers | Used in combination with Laureth-23 as co- emulsifier |
| Laureth-23 EO | Acne scrubs, medicated shampoos, bubble baths, scalp treatment products, bubble baths | Used as cleansing agent and solubilizer.Effective perfume solubilizer for shampoo and liquid detergents. |
| Laureth-12 EO | Shampoo, cleansing creams, bubble baths, shower products, liquid hand soaps | Used as solubilizer and emulsifier for creams |
| Oleth-10 EO | Skin creams, after-shaves, hair care, skin toners, baby care, bath and shower products | Used as a co-emulsifier for solubilizing fragrance oils in cosmetic products |
| Oleth-20 EO | Skin creams, after-shaves, hair care, skin toners, baby care, bath and shower products | Used as a co-emulsifier for solubilizing fragrances and polar oils in cosmetic products |
| Steareth-2 EO | Anti-perspirants, depilatories, bleaches, baby care, DEO, bath and shower products | Used as co-emulsifier along with Streath- 20/21 in creams and lotions |
| Steareth-20 EO | Anti-perspirants, depilatories, bleaches, baby care, DEO, bath and shower products | Forms stable oil-in-water emulsions and produces viscosity and body in creams and lotions |
| Steareth-21 EO | Foundation make-up, skin care, hair care, Anti-perspirants, depilatories, bleaches, baby care, DEO, bath and shower products | Forms stable oil-in-water emulsions and produces viscosity and body in creams and lotions |
| Ceteareth-20 EO | Baby care, hair care, skin care, bath and shower products | Used as an emulsifier for stable emulsions |
| Tridecyl-12 EO | Face-washes, hand washes, cleansing creams, bath and shower products | Used as solubilizer for fragrances and other polar compounds in serums, gels and cleansing systems |
| Glycereth-7 EO | After-shaves, skin toners, shaving creams, cleansing creams | Used as humectant in creams and lotions. It adds lubricity and gives nongreasy feel |
| Glycereth-26 EO | Foundation make-up, skin care, hair care, Anti-perspirants, depilatories, bleaches, baby care, DEO, bath and shower products | Used as humectant that offers a smooth luxurious feel. It is recommended as skin conditioning agent, dispersant, detackifier, solubilizer, viscosity modifier, plasticizer, foam modifier and as exceptional lubricant |
| PEG-40-Stearate | Cosmetic products, toiletries, topical pharma products | Used as emulsifier, gives fine textured emulsions in presence of electrolytes |
| PEG-20-Stearate | Skin care, color cosmetics, sun care products | Used as a viscosity builder and emulsion stabilizer in creams and lotions. Used in products which are required to melt at body temperature |
| PEG-100-Stearate | cosmetic products, toiletries, topical pharma products | Used as a co-emulsifier in presence of Glycerol Mono Stearate or Tridecyl Stearate to form stable emulsions in presence of electrolytes |
| Hydrogenated Castor Oil-40EO | Baby care, skin care, sun care, bath, shower and hair care products | Used as solubilizer for perfume oils and as emulsifier in creams and lotions |
| Hydrogenated Castor Oil-50EO | Baby care, skin care, hair care and sun care products | Used as solubilizer, pigment disperser, wetting agent and as co-emulsifier with other products |
| PEG-6-Methyl Ether | Anti-perspirants, foaming cleansers, baby care, hair care, skin care, bath and shower products | Used as dispersing agent for antimicrobial actives in cosmetic formulations |
| Polysorbate-20 | Skin care, hair care, color cosmetics,sun care | Used as emulsifier to produce medium, fine textured creams and lotions. It acts as a spreading aid for bath oils and as solubilizer for oils and fragrances. |
| Polysorbate-60 | Skin care, hair care, color cosmetics, sun care | Used as emulsifier to produce medium, fine textured creams and lotions. It acts as a spreading aid for bath oils and as solubilizer for oils and fragrances. |
| Polysorbate-80 | Skin care, hair care, color cosmetics, sun care | Used as emulsifier to produce medium, fine textured creams and lotions. It acts as a spreading aid for bath oils and as solubilizer for oils and fragrances. |
| Diethylene Glycol Mono Stearate | Shampoos, skin care, hair care, sun care, baby care and other personalcleansing products | Used as emulsifiers for cosmetic products |
| Diethylene Glycol Mono Laurate | Shampoos, skin care, hair care, sun care, baby care and other personal cleansing products | Used as emulsifiers for cosmetic products |
| PEG-200 Mono Laurate | Baby care, skin care, sun care, bath, shower and hair care products | Used as Wetting & Dispersing agents in color cosmetics solubilizers & stabilizers |
| PEG-200 Dilaurate | Baby care, skin care, sun care, bath, shower and hair care products | Used as Wetting & Dispersing agents in color cosmetics solubilizers & stabilizers |
| PEG-400 Dilaurate | Bath Additives, Facial Cleansers, Facial Skin Care, Hand & Body Care, and Styling Aids | It is an oil-in-water emulsifier, produces excel- lent micro-emulsions. |
| PEG-400 Monolaurate | After Sun Skin Care, Beach Wear Sun Care, Daily Wear Sun Care, Facial Skin Care, Hand & Body Care, Self-Tanners, and Shampoos | It is an oil-in-water emulsifier, produces excel- lent micro-emulsions. 4 |
| PEG-400 Monostearate | Baby care, skin care, sun care, bath, shower and hair care products | It is used as an Emulsifier, Plasticizer, Solubilizer, Wetting Agent, cleansing agent, Thickening Agent |
| PEG-400 Distearate | Baby care, skin care, sun care, bath, shower and hair care products | It is used as an Emulsifier, Plasticizer, Solubilizer, Wetting Agent, cleansing agent, Thickening Agent/td> |
| PEG-400 Monooleate | Baby care, skin care, sun care, bath, shower and hair care products | It is used as an Emulsifier, Solubilizer, Wetting Agent, cleansing agent, Thickening Agent |
| PEG-400 Dioleate | Baby care, skin care, sun care, bath, shower and hair care products | It is used as an Emulsifier, Solubilizer, Wetting Agent, cleansing agent, Thickening Agent |
| PEG-1500 Monostearate | Baby care, skin care, sun care, bath, shower and hair care products | It is used as an emulsifier, viscosity builder, thickener, spreading agent. |
| PEG-1750 Monostearate | Baby care, skin care, sun care, bath, shower and hair care products | It is used as an emulsifier, viscosity builder, thickener, spreading agent. |
| PEG-2000 Distearate | Baby care, skin care, sun care, bath, shower and hair care products | It is used as an emulsifier, viscosity builder, thickener, spreading agent. |
| Propylene Glycol Mono Stearate | Baby care, skin care, sun care, bath, shower and hair care products | Used as Opacifiers, Emulsifiers, Bodying Agents, Dispersing Agents. Propylene glycol esters have high skin penetration capability |
| Glycerol Mono Stearate (40 SE/NSE) | Baby care, skin care, sun care, bath, shower and hair care products | Used as an oil-in-water emulsifier in various cosmetic formulations. |
| Sorbitan Mono Oleate | Creams and lotions for skin care, hair care, make-up bases and mild cleansing creams | Used as an emulsifier and spreading aid for bath oils, as solubilizer for oils and fragrances and to increase water dispersibility to anhydrous formulations |
| Glyceryl tri Stearate | Baby care, skin care, sun care, bath, shower and hair care products | Used as emulsifier in creams and lotions. |
Related Products & Pages
Related Products
Related Category Products
Frequently Asked Questions About Surfactants
Find answers to common questions about our products and services
Surfactants (surface-active agents) reduce surface tension between liquids or a liquid and a solid. They have hydrophilic and hydrophobic parts and act as emulsifiers, detergents, wetting agents, and dispersants.
Venus Ethoxyethers Pvt. Ltd. manufactures surfactants in India: non-ionic, anionic, cationic, and amphoteric. We supply ethoxylates, sulfates, sulfosuccinates, and specialty surfactants from our Goa facility.
Non-ionic surfactants have no charge and are compatible with all types. Anionic have a negative charge and are excellent for cleaning. Cationic have a positive charge for conditioning and antimicrobial use. Amphoteric can have both charges depending on pH.
The best surfactant depends on application, pH, compatibility, and desired properties. Our technical team can recommend the right surfactant for your formulation. Contact us for samples and support.
No FAQs found
Try adjusting your search terms