Database/Colorant/Acid Red 87
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Acid Red 87 natural?

Mostly not. Synthetic brominated xanthene dye from petrochemical aromatics; only the two sodium counter-ions are natural-origin mass.

INCI nameAcid Red 87
CAS17372-87-1
FormulaC20H6Br4Na2O5 · 691.9 Da
FunctionColorant · Hair Dyeing
FeedstockMade industrially by bromination and salt-formation of a…

How we scored it

MW 691.9; only Na2 counter-ions (45.98 Da) are mineral/natural; tetrabromoxanthene-benzoate backbone (~645.9 Da) is synthetic. 45.98/691.9=0.066->0.07.
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 industrially by bromination and salt-formation of a synthetic fluorescein-type dye, itself from petrochemical phthalic anhydride and resorcinol. No natural production route exists commercially; only the sodium counter-ions derive from mineral neutralisation.

In plain English

A bright pink-red synthetic dye used to colour hair-dye products. It is made industrially from petrochemical aromatic chemicals rather than extracted from nature, with two sodium atoms contributed by mineral salt.

CosIng definition: Acid Red 87 is classed chemically as a xanthene colour. It conforms to the formula:

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Structure

2D structure of Acid Red 87

disodium;2-(2,4,5,7-tetrabromo-3-oxido-6-oxoxanthen-9-yl)benzoate

PubChem CID 11048 ↗

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. 2Acid Red 87. PubChem CID 11048. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3ACID RED 87. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4ACID RED 87. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ACID%20RED%2087