Polysorbates derive their vegan and vegetarian status from sorbitan, oleic acid.
| Vegan? Maybe | Vegetarian? Maybe |
Classifications are made based on the available commercial supply of the ingredient, and are made based on the criteria on our classifications page.
Commercially available polysorbates may be vegan depending on the source and may be vegetarian depending on the source.
Polysorbates are a nonionic surfactant and emulsifier often used in pharmaceuticals, foods, and cosmetics. Polysorbates may come from animal sources. For example, polysorbate 80 is derived from polyethoxylated sorbitan and oleic acid.