Database/Hair Dyeing/Acid Yellow 36
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Acid Yellow 36 natural?

Mostly not. Metanil Yellow's diphenylamine-azo aromatic core is petrochemical; its single sulfonate group is mineral-derived.

INCI nameAcid Yellow 36
CAS587-98-4
FormulaC18H14N3NaO3S · 375.4 Da
FunctionHair Dyeing
FeedstockManufactured by diazo coupling of synthetic diphenylamine and…

How we scored it

Metanil Yellow (known structure, no formula supplied): diphenylamine-azobenzene core ~272 Da (petrochemical) + sulfonate-Na ~103 Da (natural) → 103/375 = 0.27.
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

Manufactured by diazo coupling of synthetic diphenylamine and aniline-sulfonic acid intermediates, isolated as the sodium salt. No natural-origin route exists.

In plain English

Metanil Yellow, a synthetic dye used to colour hair. Its aromatic dye core is petrochemical; its sulfonate group comes from a mineral source.

Natural alternatives with the same function

Beta Vulgaris Root Powder 100% natural origin

A powder made by drying and grinding sugar beet root. Used as a natural colorant for hair dye…

 Bismuth Citrate 100% natural origin

A salt formed from bismuth metal and citric acid, a natural fermentation-derived fruit acid, used to buffer, chelate…

 Dihydroxyacetone 100% natural origin

The active self-tanning ingredient that reacts with skin's surface proteins to produce a temporary bronze colour; made by…

 Epicatechin 100% natural origin

An antioxidant compound naturally found in tea and cocoa, used in skin, hair and oral care. It's extracted…

 Lawsonia Inermis Extract 100% natural origin

A plant extract from the henna shrub, used to condition hair and skin and add a reddish tint.…

 Pyrogallol 100% natural origin

A hair-dye ingredient traditionally made by heating gallic acid, itself extracted from plant tannins in gallnuts, until it…

Structure

2D structure of Acid Yellow 36

sodium 3-[(4-anilinophenyl)diazenyl]benzenesulfonate

PubChem CID 3935589 ↗

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 Yellow 36. PubChem CID 3935589. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3ACID YELLOW 36. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4ACID YELLOW 36. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ACID%20YELLOW%2036