Database/Hydrotrope Surfactant/Ammonium Cumenesulfonate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Ammonium Cumenesulfonate natural?

Mostly not. The sulfonate group is mineral sulfur trioxide; the cumene ring and isopropyl group come from benzene and propylene, and ammonium is Haber-Bosch ammonia from natural gas.

INCI nameAmmonium Cumenesulfonate
CAS37475-88-0
FormulaC9H15NO3S · 217.29 Da
FunctionHydrotrope Surfactant · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockCumene, made from benzene and propylene, is sulfonated…

How we scored it

C9H15NO3S 217.3: SO3 80.1 (mineral sulfonate) natural; cumyl C9H11 119.2 (benzene + propylene) and NH4 18.0 (natural-gas ammonia) petrochemical. 80.1 / 217.3 = 0.37.
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

Cumene, made from benzene and propylene, is sulfonated with SO3 or oleum and neutralised with ammonia. No plant-based route exists for the aromatic cumyl group.

In plain English

A hydrotrope that helps oils, fragrances and other ingredients dissolve evenly in water-based cleansers and keeps them from separating. It is made by sulfonating cumene, a petrochemical hydrocarbon, and neutralising with ammonia.

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Structure

2D structure of Ammonium Cumenesulfonate

azanium 2-propan-2-ylbenzenesulfonate

PubChem CID 161945 ↗

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. 2Ammonium Cumenesulfonate. PubChem CID 161945. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3AMMONIUM CUMENESULFONATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4AMMONIUM CUMENESULFONATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=AMMONIUM%20CUMENESULFONATE