SPF Scout · Ingredient

Polysorbate 80

Denaturant (makes alcohol undrinkable)Surfactant (cleanses or mixes oil and water)

What this ingredient generally does

Polysorbate 80 helps oil and water blend and stay mixed, and works as a cleansing agent too. It also acts as a denaturant, an additive that makes any alcohol in the formula unpalatable.

Reviewed before publication. This note describes function in a formulation — nothing else.

Published formulations that list this ingredient

These are the formulations currently published in the SPF Scout catalog whose stored ingredient declaration includes this ingredient. It is not a list of every product on the market, and the order carries no meaning.

Checking this against your own list

You can select this ingredient in the SPF Scout app as one to flag. The app compares your selections against a product's stored declaration on your device; your list never reaches this website.

This comparison does not predict whether your skin will react.

Where this information comes from

Ingredient names, CAS numbers and recorded functions come from SPF Scout’s curated ingredient dictionary, grounded in CosIng, the European Commission’s Cosmetic Ingredient Database. Content © European Union, reused with acknowledgement.

Report a correction