Database/Fragrance/Acetyl Tributyl Citrate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Acetyl Tributyl Citrate natural?

Mostly not. The citric acid backbone is fermentation-derived and natural; the acetyl cap and three butanol ester groups are petrochemical additions.

INCI nameAcetyl Tributyl Citrate
CAS77-90-7
FormulaC20H34O8 · 402.5 Da
FunctionFragrance · Plasticiser
FeedstockMade by acetylating fermentation-derived citric acid then esterifying…

How we scored it

Citric acid core (fermentation, natural) retains ~188Da of 402.5Da total; acetyl cap (~42Da) + 3 butyl esters (~171Da) petrochemical. 188/402.5 ≈ 0.47.
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 fermentation-derived citric acid then esterifying with butanol, a petrochemical alcohol. The citrate core is natural; the acetyl and butyl groups are not.

In plain English

A plasticiser and fragrance-fixative ingredient. It is made by combining citric acid, from fermentation, with butanol and an acetyl group, both derived from petrochemical feedstocks.

CosIng definition: Acetylcitric acid tributyl ester

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Structure

2D structure of Acetyl Tributyl Citrate

tributyl 2-acetyloxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylate

PubChem CID 6505 ↗

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 Tributyl Citrate. PubChem CID 6505. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3ACETYL TRIBUTYL CITRATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4ACETYL TRIBUTYL CITRATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ACETYL%20TRIBUTYL%20CITRATE