Sorbitan Monooleate
Sorbitan Monooleate, sold as Span 80, is a non-ionic lipophilic emulsifier with CAS number 1338-43-8 and E number E494 in the European Union. The HLB is approximately 4.3.
The molecule pairs a sorbitan core with a single oleic acid (C18:1) ester at the primary hydroxyl. At room temperature it is an amber to dark amber viscous liquid that dissolves in vegetable oils, ethanol, and mineral oils, and disperses in water with vigorous agitation.
We source bulk Sorbitan Monooleate 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.
or call +86-21-6858 0751
- Packaging
- 190 kg steel drum or 25 kg jerrican
- ISO 9001
- HACCP
- Halal
- Kosher
Specifications
Grades / Types Available: Food Grade, Pharmaceutical Grade
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Amber viscous oily liquid |
| Acid Value | ≤ 8.0 mg KOH/g |
| Saponification Value | 145-160 mg KOH/g |
| Hydroxyl Value | 193-209 mg KOH/g |
| Water Content | ≤ 1.5% |
| HLB Value | 4.3 |
| Heavy Metals (as Pb) | ≤ 2 mg/kg |
| Purity/Assay | ≥ 99% (Food Grade) |
| Viscosity | 1000-3000 mPa.s |
| Moisture/Loss on Drying | ≤ 1% (Food Grade) |
| pH | 5.0 - 7.0 |
| Lead | ≤ 2 ppm |
| Arsenic | ≤ 1 ppm |
| Total Plate Count | ≤ 1000 cfu/g |
| Yeast & Mold | ≤ 100 cfu/g |
Common Markets Grades
Five grades of Span 80 cover the market: food, pharmaceutical, vaccine, cosmetic, and industrial.
Food grade meets the JECFA specification for E494 with controlled hydroxyl value (193-209 mg KOH/g), saponification value (145-160 mg KOH/g), acid value below 8, and water below 1.5 percent.
USP-NF and Ph. Eur. pharmaceutical grade adds heavy metal limits, peroxide value control, and tighter purity specifications.
Vaccine adjuvant grade is produced with very low peroxide value and tightly controlled fatty acid composition for use in licensed adjuvant systems including MF59 and AS03.
Cosmetic grade is produced for colour cosmetics, sunscreens, and water-in-oil creams.
Industrial grade is used in oil-field operations, mining explosives, and metalworking fluids without the food-grade purity controls.
Plant-source oleic acid (sunflower, canola, or rapeseed) is the standard pharmaceutical supply route; Kosher and Halal certifications follow source documentation.
Applications
- Ice cream and frozen desserts as a co-emulsifier paired with polysorbate 80 for fat destabilization
- Cake mixes, icings, and bakery shortenings as a co-emulsifier with PGMS and monoglyceride
- Vaccine adjuvant systems including squalene-based oil-in-water and water-in-oil emulsions
- Cosmetic water-in-oil creams, sunscreens, and colour cosmetics as the primary emulsifier
- Pharmaceutical creams, lotions, and topical preparations
- Mining explosives matrices as the lipid-phase emulsifier in ammonium nitrate water-in-oil emulsions
- Oil-field demulsifier and corrosion inhibitor formulations
- Metalworking and rolling fluids as the lipid-phase emulsifier
- Industrial agrochemical emulsifiable concentrates as a co-surfactant
- Lubricant additive in greases and rolling oils
- Plastic processing as a slip and antistatic additive
Brands Using Sorbitan Monooleate
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Sorbitan Monooleate on the ingredient label.
- CeraVeIntensive Moisturizing Lotion ↗Ingredient list includes: 'SORBITAN TRISTEARATE, SORBITAN OLEATE' (Sorbitan Oleate is the INCI name for sorbitan monooleate / Span 80).Label verified 2026-05-24
- La Roche-PosayLipikar Urea 10% Roughness Smoothing Lotion ↗Ingredient list includes 'Sorbitan Oleate' (INCI for sorbitan monooleate / Span 80) as emulsifier.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 Sorbitan Monooleate
Top Sorbitan Monooleate 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 Sorbitan Monooleate
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 Sorbitan Monooleate 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 Sorbitan Monooleate 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
Sorbitan monooleate is approved as a food additive and pharmaceutical excipient in essentially every regulated market.
In the European Union it carries the E number E494 within the sorbitan esters family. The European Food Safety Authority re-evaluated the sorbitan esters group in 2017 and confirmed a group acceptable daily intake expressed as sorbitan.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration permits sorbitan monooleate as a food additive in shortening, beverage bases, and dietetic foods under 21 CFR 172.840, with category-specific use limits.
JECFA assigned the sorbitan esters group an ADI expressed as sorbitan. Pharmacopoeial monographs for sorbitan monooleate appear in USP-NF and Ph. Eur.
Vaccine adjuvant use of Span 80 paired with Polysorbate 80 in squalene emulsions is covered by the same pharmacopoeial specifications, with additional batch-level testing for bacterial endotoxin and bioburden.
Manufacturing Process
Span 80 is produced by direct esterification of sorbitol with oleic acid.
Sorbitol is first dehydrated to sorbitan by heating under vacuum with an acid or base catalyst at 150 to 200 degrees Celsius. A single water molecule is eliminated, producing a five-membered tetrahydrofuran ring with three free hydroxyl groups. A small fraction undergoes a second dehydration to isosorbide; this isosorbide content is a controlled impurity.
The sorbitan is then esterified with oleic acid at 200 to 230 degrees Celsius under nitrogen with an alkaline catalyst such as sodium hydroxide or sodium acetate. The molar ratio of sorbitan to oleic acid is held close to 1:1 to favor the monoester.
The reaction is followed by acid value until the target specification is reached. The catalyst is neutralised with phosphoric or citric acid and the crude product is bleached with activated carbon. Span 80 is packaged hot in pails, drums, or totes as an amber viscous liquid.
For vaccine-grade production an additional purification step removes peroxides and minor oxidation products to meet the stringent injectable specifications.
