Database/Humectant/Arginine PCA
100% natural origin · ISO 16128

Is Arginine PCA natural?

Yes. Salt of two fermentation-derived amino-acid products, arginine and pyroglutamic acid.

INCI nameArginine PCA
CAS56265-06-6
FormulaC11H21N5O5 · 303.32 Da
FunctionHumectant · Skin Conditioning
FeedstockMade by combining fermentation-derived L-arginine with PCA, itself…

How we scored it

L-Arginine (fermentation) + PCA from glutamic acid (fermentation), condensation loses no natural mass = 1.0.
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 combining fermentation-derived L-arginine with PCA, itself cyclised from fermentation-derived glutamic acid. No petrochemical route is used commercially.

In plain English

A combination of the amino acid arginine and PCA (a natural skin moisturising factor), both typically made by fermenting sugars. Used as a humectant to draw moisture into the skin.

Structure

2D structure of Arginine PCA

(2S)-2-amino-5-(diaminomethylideneamino)pentanoic acid;(2S)-5-oxopyrrolidine-2-carboxylic acid

PubChem CID 198346 ↗

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. 2Arginine PCA. PubChem CID 198346. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3ARGININE PCA. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4ARGININE PCA. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ARGININE%20PCA