Polyoxyethylene Sorbitan Monostearate
Polyoxyethylene Sorbitan Monostearate, sold as Polysorbate 60 or Tween 60, is a non-ionic surfactant with CAS number 9005-67-8 and an HLB of approximately 14.9.
The molecule combines a sorbitan core with a single stearic acid (C18:0) ester and three polyoxyethylene chains averaging twenty ethylene oxide units in total. At room temperature it is a yellow waxy solid that melts to a clear amber liquid above 35 degrees Celsius.
We source bulk Polyoxyethylene Sorbitan Monostearate from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Guangdong. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.
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- Packaging
- 250 kg plastic drum or 1,000 kg IBC tote
- ISO 9001
- HACCP
- Halal
- Kosher
Specifications
Grades / Types Available: food grade, pharmaceutical grade
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Amber waxy solid or viscous liquid |
| Acid Value | ≤ 2.0 mg KOH/g |
| Saponification Value | 45-55 mg KOH/g |
| Hydroxyl Value | 81-96 mg KOH/g |
| Water Content | ≤ 3.0% |
| HLB Value | 14.9 |
| Heavy Metals (as Pb) | ≤ 5 mg/kg |
| Purity/Assay | ≥ 98% (Food Grade) |
| Viscosity | 1000-3000 mPa·s (Food Grade) |
| Moisture/Loss on Drying | ≤ 5% (Food Grade) |
| pH | 5.0 - 7.0 (Food Grade) |
| Particle Size/Mesh | ≥ 100 mesh (Food Grade) |
| Ash | ≤ 1% (Food Grade) |
| Lead | ≤ 2 ppm (Food Grade) |
| Arsenic | ≤ 1 ppm (Food Grade) |
| Total Plate Count | ≤ 1000 cfu/g (Food Grade) |
| Yeast & Mold | ≤ 100 cfu/g (Food Grade) |
Common Markets Grades
Polysorbate 60 comes in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic grades.
Food grade meets the JECFA specification for E435 with maximum 1 ppm 1,4-dioxane and defined hydroxyl and saponification value ranges. It comes as a waxy yellow solid in 50 lb pails, or as a heated liquid in totes.
USP-NF and Ph. Eur. pharmaceutical grade tightens dioxane and ethylene oxide residuals and adds peroxide value control for use in topical creams and oral suspensions.
Cosmetic grade runs at slightly lower assay (typically 95 to 97 percent) for use in lotions, creams, and colour cosmetics.
Plant-source stearic acid (palm, soybean, or sunflower) is the standard supply route; Kosher, Halal, and RSPO-certified palm grades are widely available.
Applications
- Cake mixes, icings, and bakery glazes for emulsion stability and crumb softening
- Whipped toppings and aerosol creams as the primary foam-stabilising emulsifier
- Imitation dairy creams, coffee whiteners, and barista milks
- Frozen desserts and ice cream as a co-emulsifier with mono-/diglycerides
- Salad dressings, mayonnaise-style sauces, and gravy mixes
- Pickle brines and shortening systems as a wetting and dispersion aid
- Pharmaceutical creams, lotions, and ointments as a non-ionic co-emulsifier
- Oral pharmaceutical suspensions for lipophilic actives
- Cosmetic moisturizers, sunscreens, and colour cosmetics as the primary water-in-oil emulsifier
- Hair conditioners and styling products for emulsion stability
- Industrial cleaners and metalworking fluids as a non-ionic surfactant
Brands Using Polyoxyethylene Sorbitan Monostearate
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Polyoxyethylene Sorbitan Monostearate on the ingredient label.
- MarzettiPoppyseed Salad Dressing ↗Listed: '...CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: ONION JUICE, POPPYSEED, DEHYDRATED ONION, MUSTARD SEED, GARLIC JUICE, POLYSORBATE 60, SODIUM BENZOATE...'Label verified 2026-05-24
- International DelightZero Sugar French Vanilla Coffee Creamer ↗Listed: 'Water, Palm Oil, Maltodextrin, Contains 2% or less of: Sodium Caseinate... Mono and Diglycerides, Carrageenan, Polysorbate 60, Sucralose...'Label verified 2026-05-24
- International DelightZero Sugar Sweet & Creamy Coffee Creamer ↗Listed: '...Mono and Diglycerides, Carrageenan, Polysorbate 60, Sucralose, Natural and Artificial Flavors...'Label verified 2026-05-24
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Polyoxyethylene Sorbitan Monostearate
Top Polyoxyethylene Sorbitan Monostearate manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
How We Help Source Polyoxyethylene Sorbitan Monostearate
Direct Factory Sourcing
We run the whole process: selecting the manufacturer from the top Chinese food ingredient producers, negotiating the price, verifying quality, and coordinating the logistics. You deal with us instead of with several factories at once.
Original Packaging and Documents from the Manufacturer
The manufacturer sends your Polyoxyethylene Sorbitan Monostearate out of its own factory in the original packing, through to your destination port. The COA, COO, MSDS, TDS and any certifications reach you from the manufacturer as well.
Free Samples and Lead Time
We send 100 to 500 g free for your own laboratory to test and you cover only the courier, usually within 2 to 3 working days. ETD is usually within 7 to 15 days once the order is confirmed, and we check that date against the factory's own manufacturing schedule before we give it to you.
Combined Shipment
We can load Polyoxyethylene Sorbitan Monostearate together with other ingredients such as Polyglycerol Esters of Fatty Acids, Non-Dairy Creamer and Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids into one 20' FCL. If your quantity is small, we can also ship LCL.
Regulatory Status
Polysorbate 60 is approved as a food additive and pharmaceutical excipient in essentially every regulated market.
In the European Union it carries E number E435 within the polysorbates family (E432-E436). The European Food Safety Authority re-evaluated the group in 2015 and confirmed the existing group acceptable daily intake.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration permits polysorbate 60 under 21 CFR 172.836 in cake mixes, whipped vegetable oil toppings, shortening, salad dressings, and similar category-specific applications with quantitative limits.
JECFA assigned the polysorbates group an ADI. Pharmacopoeial monographs appear in USP-NF, Ph. Eur., JP, and CP.
Residual ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane are controlled below 1 ppm in all current compendia. Kosher and Halal certifications are widely available when stearic acid sourcing is documented.
Manufacturing Process
Polysorbate 60 is produced in two stages from sorbitol.
Stage one is sorbitan formation and esterification. Sorbitol is heated under vacuum with an acid or base catalyst at 150 to 200 degrees Celsius to eliminate one water molecule and form a sorbitan ring. The sorbitan is then esterified with a stearic acid stream (typically 60 to 70 percent stearic acid, balance palmitic acid) at 200 to 230 degrees Celsius under nitrogen with an alkaline catalyst, producing sorbitan monostearate (Span 60).
Stage two is ethoxylation. Span 60 is reacted with twenty equivalents of ethylene oxide gas at 130 to 180 degrees Celsius and 3 to 5 bar with potassium hydroxide catalyst. Ethylene oxide adds across the free sorbitan hydroxyls and on the fatty acid ester, producing a statistical distribution of polyoxyethylene chains totaling twenty units per molecule.
After neutralisation with phosphoric or citric acid the product is vacuum-stripped to remove residual ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane, decolorised with activated carbon, and packaged hot. Polysorbate 60's higher melting point versus Polysorbate 80 reflects the saturated stearic acid chain.
