Is Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vinyl Formamide Copolymer natural? NOI 0.27

Q: Is Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vinyl Formamide Copolymer natural?

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vinyl Formamide Copolymer has a Natural Origin Index (NOI) of 0.27 (scale 0–1) per ISO 16128. Only the sulfonate group (from sulfuric acid or SO3) is mineral; the acrylamide backbone, ammonium and vinylformamide come from petrochemical acrylonitrile, isobutylene, acetald… An NOI of 0.27 means 27% of its molecular mass is traceable to a natural, renewable source.

How we scored it

Monomer ratio not published, so taken as equimolar, as for Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer: AMPS-ammonium C7H16N2O4S 224.3 Da + N-vinylformamide C3H5NO 71.1 Da = 295.4 Da per pair; sulfonate SO3 80.1 Da mineral, the rest petrochemical; 80.1 / 295.4 = 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

Dominant route: free-radical copolymerisation of AMPS (acrylonitrile, isobutylene and oleum), neutralised with ammonia, with N-vinylformamide. No natural-origin route exists for the monomers.

In plain English

A synthetic polymer that thickens water-based products and keeps oil and water mixed in gels and light lotions, giving a smooth feel. It is built from petroleum-derived building blocks plus a small mineral-derived sulfonate group.

CosIng definition: Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vinyl Formamide Copolymer is a copolymer of ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate and vinyl formamide monomers

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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.
2AMMONIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYLTAURATE/VINYL FORMAMIDE COPOLYMER. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
3AMMONIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYLTAURATE/VINYL FORMAMIDE COPOLYMER. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=AMMONIUM%20ACRYLOYLDIMETHYLTAURATE/VINYL%20FORMAMIDE%20COPOLYMER