Database/Antioxidant/Acetyl Trihexyl Citrate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Acetyl Trihexyl Citrate natural?

Mostly not. Only the citric-acid backbone is natural; the hexanol ester arms and acetyl cap are petrochemical.

INCI nameAcetyl Trihexyl Citrate
CAS24817-92-3
FormulaC26H46O8 · 486.6 Da
FunctionAntioxidant · Chelating
FeedstockMade by esterifying fermentation citric acid with petrochemical…

How we scored it

Citrate core (fermentation) 188.1 Da natural; 3× hexyl C6H13 255.5 Da + acetyl cap 43.0 Da (both petrochemical) = 188.1/486.6 = 0.39
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 esterifying fermentation citric acid with petrochemical 1-hexanol, then acetylating with acetic anhydride. Used as a plasticiser/emollient.

In plain English

A plasticiser and skin-conditioning ester made from citric acid combined with synthetic hexanol and an acetyl group. Found in nail products and some skincare formulas.

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Structure

2D structure of Acetyl Trihexyl Citrate

trihexyl 2-acetyloxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylate

PubChem CID 90617 ↗

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 Trihexyl Citrate. PubChem CID 90617. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3ACETYL TRIHEXYL CITRATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4ACETYL TRIHEXYL CITRATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ACETYL%20TRIHEXYL%20CITRATE