Database/Hair Dyeing/4-Chlororesorcinol
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is 4-Chlororesorcinol natural?

No. The resorcinol core and its chlorine substituent both come from petrochemical aromatic synthesis; no natural building block is used.

INCI name4-Chlororesorcinol
CAS95-88-5
FormulaC6H5ClO2 · 144.55 Da
FunctionHair Dyeing
Feedstock4-Chlororesorcinol is manufactured by chlorinating synthetic resorcinol, itself…

How we scored it

Chlorinated resorcinol, a phenol derivative; classifies all phenol derivatives as petrochemical. 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.

Where it comes from

4-Chlororesorcinol is manufactured by chlorinating synthetic resorcinol, itself produced from benzene-derived intermediates. There is no commercial natural-extraction route for this hair-dye intermediate.

In plain English

A hair dye ingredient that reacts with other dye components to form permanent colour inside the hair shaft. It is manufactured synthetically from petrochemical resorcinol.

Natural alternatives with the same function

Beta Vulgaris Root Powder 100% natural origin

A powder made by drying and grinding sugar beet root. Used as a natural colorant for hair dye…

 Bismuth Citrate 100% natural origin

A salt formed from bismuth metal and citric acid, a natural fermentation-derived fruit acid, used to buffer, chelate…

 Dihydroxyacetone 100% natural origin

The active self-tanning ingredient that reacts with skin's surface proteins to produce a temporary bronze colour; made by…

 Epicatechin 100% natural origin

An antioxidant compound naturally found in tea and cocoa, used in skin, hair and oral care. It's extracted…

 Lawsonia Inermis Extract 100% natural origin

A plant extract from the henna shrub, used to condition hair and skin and add a reddish tint.…

 Pyrogallol 100% natural origin

A hair-dye ingredient traditionally made by heating gallic acid, itself extracted from plant tannins in gallnuts, until it…

Structure

2D structure of 4-Chlororesorcinol

4-chlorobenzene-1,3-diol

PubChem CID 1731 ↗

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-Chlororesorcinol. PubChem CID 1731. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 34-CHLORORESORCINOL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 44-CHLORORESORCINOL. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=4-CHLORORESORCINOL