Database/Emollient/Oleic Acid
100% natural origin · ISO 16128

Is Oleic Acid natural?

Yes. Oleic acid is split from vegetable oils rich in it, such as olive, sunflower or canola, by hydrolysis; entirely oil-derived.

INCI nameOleic Acid
CAS112-80-1
FormulaC18H34O2 · 282.5 Da
FunctionEmollient · Emulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockObtained by hydrolysing high-oleic vegetable oils such as…

How we scored it

Single C18 monounsaturated fatty acid, oleochemical hydrolysis product of natural oils such as olive or sunflower → 1.00.
What counts. ISO 16128-2 scores the atoms that remain in the final ingredient. Reagents, solvents, catalysts and protecting groups used during manufacture leave no mass behind and are not counted.

Where it comes from

Obtained by hydrolysing high-oleic vegetable oils such as olive, sunflower or canola oil. No cosmetic-grade petrochemical route exists.

In plain English

An unsaturated fatty acid abundant in olive and sunflower oil, used as an emollient and emulsifier. It is extracted directly from natural vegetable oils.

Structure

2D structure of Oleic Acid

(Z)-octadec-9-enoic acid

PubChem CID 445639 ↗

References

  1. 1ISO 16128-1:2016 and ISO 16128-2:2017 — Guidelines on technical definitions and criteria for natural and organic cosmetic ingredients and products. ISO, Geneva.
  2. 2Oleic Acid. PubChem CID 445639. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3OLEIC ACID. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4OLEIC ACID. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=OLEIC%20ACID