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

Is 4-Hydroxyindole natural?

No. Manufactured by synthetic indole-ring chemistry from petrochemical aniline/nitrophenol feedstocks; no commercial natural extraction route.

INCI name4-Hydroxyindole
CAS2380-94-1
FormulaC8H7NO · 133.15 Da
FunctionHair Dyeing
FeedstockProduced synthetically via indole-ring construction from petrochemical aniline…

How we scored it

Whole molecule C8H7NO (133.15 Da), hydroxylated indole; wholly synthetic dye intermediate, 0/133.15 natural mass.
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

Produced synthetically via indole-ring construction from petrochemical aniline derivatives. No natural extraction supply chain exists for this hair-dye-grade material.

In plain English

A synthetic dye intermediate used in permanent hair colour formulas to build shade. It is manufactured from petroleum-derived aniline chemicals rather than extracted from plants.

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Structure

2D structure of 4-Hydroxyindole

1H-indol-4-ol

PubChem CID 75421 ↗

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-Hydroxyindole. PubChem CID 75421. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 34-HYDROXYINDOLE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 44-HYDROXYINDOLE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=4-HYDROXYINDOLE