Oleyl Alcohol Ethoxylate

Oleyl Alcohol Ethoxylate is a nonionic surfactant made by ethoxylating oleyl alcohol (C18 unsaturated) with ethylene oxide. Changing the EO level moves the product from oil-soluble co-emulsifier toward water-dispersible wetting and detergency grades, so selection starts with the required HLB and the phase the product must live in.

Esteem lists oleyl alcohol ethoxylates in the 5–60 EO mole range, covering Oleth grades from co-emulsifier to solubiliser territory. Full family context is on the Alkoxylates hub. For grade selection beyond this page, Esteem’s R&D and QA teams work from the application brief rather than a catalogue guess.

Applications

• Fluid O/W emulsions, cleansers and shower systems needing oleyl slip.
• Solubilising fragrances and oils at higher EO.
• Agro and industrial emulsions where an unsaturated C18 hydrophobe helps oil compatibility.

How to select the grade

• Unsaturation keeps grades fluid versus stearyl/cetyl analogues — useful when cold flow matters.
• Low EO = lipophilic co-emulsifier; high EO = hydrophilic solubiliser/O/W emulsifier.
• Share the oil to be emulsified and the temperature range; oleyl grades behave differently in cold storage.

How to specify on an RFQ

Send the application, the property that must not fail (HLB/emulsion stability, wetting, foam, feel or solubility), target specification, and trial quantity. That lets Esteem match the grade to your test method instead of quoting the nearest catalogue name. Current TDS, SDS and lot COA are shared for qualified enquiries through the document library route.