Polyoxyethylene (8) stearate

INS 430

Used as an emulsifier.

Polyoxyethylene (8) stearate is an emulsifier and dough conditioner. Codex lists it; the European Union does not permit it in food, so it is another case where the two lists diverge.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Polyoxyethylene (8) stearate by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationNot listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFAPermitted, with conditions

4 food categories

highest permitted level 5,000 mg/kg

Show every food category
  • 05.3 Chewing gum — 200 mg/kg
  • 06.4.3 Pre-cooked pastas and noodles and like products — 5,000 mg/kg
  • 07.1 Bread and ordinary bakery wares and mixes — 3,000 mg/kg
  • 07.2 Fine bakery wares (sweet, salty, savoury) and mixes — 3,000 mg/kg
CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 430and 3 further provisionsretrieved 2026-09-07

What it is made from

Made by reacting stearic acid with ethylene oxide. The stearic acid may be plant or animal in origin.

  • Vegan status depends on the source
  • Vegetarian status depends on the source
  • May raise a halal question
  • May raise a kosher question

This is not an omission. What this additive is made from is not fixed — depending on the manufacturer it may be plant, animal or microbial in origin, nobody is required to say which, and the same product can change source between production runs. Ask the manufacturer if it matters to you; a label cannot answer it.

Every name it appears under

3 recorded names. A label may use any of them.

INS number

  • 430

Other names

  • Polyoxyethylene (8) stearate
  • POLYOXYETHYLENE STEARATES

Hazard reference values

No reference value for this substance in the sources we hold.

Evidence and how bodies read it

Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated by hand rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.

Sources for this page

  • gsfa retrieved 2026-09-07

Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.

Machine-readable:/api/v1/additives/polyoxyethylene-8-stearate.json