Database/Preservative/2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1,3-Diol
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is 2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1,3-Diol natural?

No. Bronopol is assembled from petrochemical nitromethane and formaldehyde and then brominated; no fragment traces to a natural feedstock.

INCI name2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1,3-Diol
CAS52-51-7
FormulaC3H6BrNO4 · 199.99 Da
FunctionPreservative
FeedstockManufactured by condensing nitromethane with formaldehyde and brominating…

How we scored it

Brominated nitro-diol built from nitromethane/formaldehyde chemistry then brominated; entirely synthetic, no natural fragment.
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

Henry (nitroaldol) ×2 via nitronates, then bromination. Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the score above.

Where it comes from

Manufactured by condensing nitromethane with formaldehyde and brominating the product, all petrochemical-derived reagents. No natural-origin route exists for this preservative.

In plain English

A preservative, also called Bronopol, that protects formulas from bacterial growth. It is manufactured synthetically from petrochemical starting materials via a nitro-alcohol reaction.

CosIng definition: 2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1,3-Diol is a substituted aliphatic diol that conforms to the formula:

Natural alternatives with the same function

Structure

2D structure of 2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1,3-Diol

2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol

PubChem CID 2450 ↗

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. 22-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1,3-Diol. PubChem CID 2450. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 32-BROMO-2-NITROPROPANE-1,3-DIOL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 42-BROMO-2-NITROPROPANE-1,3-DIOL. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=2-BROMO-2-NITROPROPANE-1%2C3-DIOL