Database/Fragrance/Ambroxide
Route-dependent · ISO 16128

Is Ambroxide natural?

It depends. Ambroxide is made both from sclareol, a diterpene extracted from clary sage, and by cyclising petrochemical homofarnesol; the Natural Origin Index depends on the supplier's route.

INCI nameAmbroxide
CAS6790-58-5
FormulaC16H28O · 236.39 Da
FunctionFragrance · Perfuming
FeedstockClary sage sclareol (natural origin) or petrochemical homofarnesol,…

Why the score varies

This ingredient is made commercially by more than one route, and ISO 16128 scores the feedstock actually used. Without a supplier certificate of origin the value cannot be claimed.

RouteFeedstockNOIShareNotes
sclareol routesclareol extracted from clary sage (Salvia sclarea), oxidatively cleaved to sclareolide and reduced/cyclised1.00majority of fragrance-grade supplyAll 16 carbons of the final molecule come from the plant diterpene; a sugar-fermentation route to the same intermediate also exists
synthetic cyclisation of homofarnesolpetrochemical homofarnesol / beta-ionone-derived intermediates0.00minority, some large fragrance housesNo natural-origin atoms in the final molecule
Ask your supplier. A batch-specific certificate of origin or bio-based carbon test (ASTM D6866) settles which route applies.

How we scored it

Whole-molecule routes: the clary-sage sclareol route keeps all 16 carbons natural = 1.0; petrochemical homofarnesol cyclisation = 0.0. Two commercial routes, so route-dependent, never averaged.
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

Clary sage sclareol (natural origin) or petrochemical homofarnesol, depending on the manufacturer.

In plain English

An amber, woody fragrance ingredient chemically derived from sclareol, a compound extracted from clary sage plants.

CosIng definition: Ambroxide is the heterocyclic compound that conforms to the formula:

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Structure

2D structure of Ambroxide

(3aR,5aS,9aS,9bR)-3a,6,6,9a-tetramethyl-2,4,5,5a,7,8,9,9b-octahydro-1H-benzo[e][1]benzofuran

PubChem CID 10857465 ↗

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. 2Ambroxide. PubChem CID 10857465. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3AMBROXIDE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4AMBROXIDE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=AMBROXIDE