Database/Antioxidant/4-Butylresorcinol
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is 4-Butylresorcinol natural?

No. Butylresorcinol is manufactured by alkylating petrochemical resorcinol; no commercially significant natural route exists.

INCI name4-Butylresorcinol
CAS18979-61-8
FormulaC10H14O2 · 166.22 Da
FunctionAntioxidant
FeedstockSynthesised from resorcinol, a phenol derivative made from…

How we scored it

Entire molecule is a synthetic resorcinol derivative; resorcinol/phenol derivatives are petrochemical — 0/166 = 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.

Where it comes from

Synthesised from resorcinol, a phenol derivative made from petrochemical benzene, via butylation. There is no natural extraction route used commercially.

In plain English

A lab-made antioxidant related to resorcinol, produced entirely from petrochemical feedstocks. Used in small amounts in skincare, particularly serums aimed at brightening skin tone.

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Structure

2D structure of 4-Butylresorcinol

4-butylbenzene-1,3-diol

PubChem CID 205912 ↗

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. 24-Butylresorcinol. PubChem CID 205912. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 34-BUTYLRESORCINOL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 44-BUTYLRESORCINOL. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=4-BUTYLRESORCINOL