Is Ammonium Fluoride natural?

Q: Is Ammonium Fluoride natural?

Ammonium Fluoride has a Natural Origin Index (NOI) of 0.51 (scale 0–1) per ISO 16128. Fluoride is a natural mineral halide, but the ammonium cation is made from natural-gas-derived ammonia and treated as non-natural. An NOI of 0.51 means 51% of its molecular mass is traceable to a natural, renewable source.

Mostly. Fluoride is a natural mineral halide, but the ammonium cation is made from natural-gas-derived ammonia and treated as non-natural.

INCI nameAmmonium Fluoride

CAS12125-01-8

FeedstockThe fluoride is sourced from mineral fluorspar or…

How we scored it

NH4 (18.04 Da, natural-gas ammonia, non-natural) + F (19.00 Da, mineral halide, natural); 19.00/37.04 = 0.51.

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

The fluoride is sourced from mineral fluorspar or phosphate-rock processing, while the ammonium is manufactured from Haber-process ammonia made using natural-gas hydrogen. The two fragments are combined by simple acid-base reaction.

In plain English

A mineral salt combining fluoride with ammonia-derived ammonium, occasionally used in oral care formulas. About half its weight traces to natural mineral fluoride.

Structure

PubChem CID 25516 ↗

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 Fluoride. PubChem CID 25516. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
3AMMONIUM FLUORIDE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
4Ammonium fluoride. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=Ammonium%20fluoride