Database/Buffering/Ammonium Lactate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Ammonium Lactate natural?

Mostly. Lactic acid comes from fermenting plant sugars; the ammonium ion derives from synthetic Haber-process ammonia.

INCI nameAmmonium Lactate
CAS515-98-0
FormulaC3H9NO3 · 107.11 Da
FunctionBuffering · Humectant
FeedstockMade by neutralising fermentation-derived lactic acid with ammonia…

How we scored it

Lactate C3H5O3 (89.07 Da, fermentation, natural) + NH4 (18.04 Da, natural-gas ammonia, petrochemical) → 89.07/107.11 = 0.83.
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 by neutralising fermentation-derived lactic acid with ammonia produced industrially from natural gas and air. No natural route currently supplies the ammonia fraction.

In plain English

A skin-conditioning and gentle exfoliating ingredient made by combining lactic acid, usually produced by fermenting plant sugars, with ammonia. Used in lotions to smooth rough, dry skin.

Natural alternatives with the same function

Structure

2D structure of Ammonium Lactate

azanium 2-hydroxypropanoate

PubChem CID 62358 ↗

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 Lactate. PubChem CID 62358. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3AMMONIUM LACTATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4AMMONIUM LACTATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=AMMONIUM%20LACTATE