Sorbitan Oleate's Diverse Uses!

Sorbitan oleate is a chemical that is found in many everyday products that we use, such as body washes, air fresheners, makeups, and lotions, just to name a few. This chemical has been found to have a low toxicity level to its use if it is used in adequate amounts.(1) Of course, any chemical that is used in excess or large amounts can be deemed of as being hazardous to our bodies. Many experiments were done on rats, and the effects that were found were surprising to scientists. Both male and female rats were found to have liver enlargements, however only the female rats were prone to increased kidney weight. (2) This conclusive evidence was then predicted to have some sort of association to cell mutation. A common example of cell mutation can be associated with cancer. The picture shown here shows a product that uses sorbitan oleate, even though it is deemed as being all natural and organic! (4) Sorbitan oleate is found as a yellow, oily liquid.(1) The natural ingredient that sorbitan oleate comes from is actually sorbitol, which is found in many berries and fruits.(2) Hydrogenation is just one of the chemical processes that changes sorbitol to sorbitan oleate.(3) Even various organic companies, such as one called Bubble and Bee organic products, was slammed for using sorbitan oleate as a main ingredient in many of their products. Even though sorbitol is a natural ingredient, sorbitan oleate isn’t because it is chemically modified in order to be used in various products, such as the eye shadow in your makeup box or the body wash in your shower. (2) Studies on sorbitan oleate are constantly occurring and changing, which can lead to new discoveries that can be made to such a chemical that is found in a wide range of products all of us use on a daily basis! 

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References 

1. Sorbitan Monooleate MSDS (May 21, 2013). MSDS. Retrieved October 18, 2014 from

            http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927282

2. PEG-6 Sorbitan Oleate (2013). Cosmetics Info. Retrieved October 19, 2014, from

            http://cosmeticsinfo.org/ingredient/peg-6-sorbitan-oleate

            3. Xu, W, Wang, D, Mu, X.G, Yong, Q.H (2003). Efficient Esterification of Sorbitan Oleate     by       Lipase in a Solvent-Free System. JAOCS, Vol. 80, no. 7, 647-651.

Image Reference

4. n.d. (2012). Picture of Sorbitan Oleate. Received October 20, 2014 from

http://img.alibaba.com/photo/340838955/CAS_9005_70_3_Polysorbate_85_Tween_85_Polyoxyethylene_sorbitan_tristearate_Emulsifier.jpg