How we scored it
Stearic acid (C18, oleochemical) x3 + Al (mineral counter-ion) — all fragments natural = 1.0.
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 from stearic acid derived from vegetable oils or animal tallow, combined with mineral aluminium. No petrochemical route is commercially significant.
In plain English
An aluminium salt of stearic acid, a fatty acid from vegetable or animal fat. Used to prevent caking, stabilise emulsions and control thickness in powders, creams and lotions.
CosIng definition: Aluminum Stearate is the aluminum salt of stearic acid that conforms to the formula:
Structure
aluminum tris(octadecanoate)
References
- 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.
- 2Aluminum Stearate. PubChem CID 12496. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
- 3ALUMINUM STEARATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 4ALUMINUM STEARATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ALUMINUM%20STEARATE