Database/Skin Conditioning/Acetyl Carnitine HCl
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Acetyl Carnitine HCl natural?

Mostly not. Carnitine backbone and acetyl cap are both petrochemical; only the chloride counter-ion is natural mineral mass.

INCI nameAcetyl Carnitine HCl
CAS5080-50-2
FormulaC9H18ClNO4 · 239.69 Da
FunctionSkin Conditioning
FeedstockMade by acetylating synthetically-produced carnitine with acetic anhydride,…

How we scored it

Carnitine-derived part ~160.2 Da (0%, follows carnitine=0.0) + acetyl cap ~43.0 Da (0%, acetic-anhydride cap) + HCl 36.5 Da (100%, mineral) = 36.5/239.7 = 0.15.
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

Made by acetylating synthetically-produced carnitine with acetic anhydride, then forming the hydrochloride salt. No natural-origin route for the carnitine or acetyl portions.

In plain English

A modified form of carnitine, an amino-acid-like compound, used to help condition skin. Made by chemically acetylating synthetic carnitine and forming a salt with hydrochloric acid.

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Structure

2D structure of Acetyl Carnitine HCl

[(2R)-2-acetyloxy-3-carboxypropyl]-trimethylazanium chloride

PubChem CID 2733928 ↗

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. 2Acetyl Carnitine HCl. PubChem CID 2733928. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3ACETYL CARNITINE HCL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4ACETYL CARNITINE HCL. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ACETYL%20CARNITINE%20HCL