Database/Skin Conditioning/1,2-Hexanediol
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is 1,2-Hexanediol natural?

No. Made from petrochemical 1-hexene; no significant commercial oleochemical route exists at this chain length.

INCI name1,2-Hexanediol
CAS6920-22-5
FormulaC6H14O2 · 118.17 Da
FunctionSkin Conditioning · Solvent
FeedstockProduced by epoxidising and hydrolysing 1-hexene from petroleum…

How we scored it

Simple C6 diol; commercial route is epoxidation/hydration of petrochemical 1-hexene → 0/118 = 0.0
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.

How it’s made

Epoxidation of 1-hexene (peracid), then acid hydrolysis. Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the score above.

Where it comes from

Produced by epoxidising and hydrolysing 1-hexene from petroleum cracking. Unlike the C8 analogue caprylyl glycol, C6 fatty acid is too minor a feedstock to be commercially used.

In plain English

A lightweight conditioning ingredient that also helps preservatives work better. Manufactured from a petroleum-derived building block rather than plant oils.

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Structure

2D structure of 1,2-Hexanediol

hexane-1,2-diol

PubChem CID 94335 ↗

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. 21,2-Hexanediol. PubChem CID 94335. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 31,2-HEXANEDIOL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 41,2-HEXANEDIOL. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=1%2C2-HEXANEDIOL