Arginine has a Natural Origin Index (NOI) of 1.00 (scale 0–1) per ISO 16128. Fermentation product of bacteria grown on plant-derived sugars such as corn glucose. An NOI of 1.00 means 100% of its molecular mass is traceable to a natural, renewable source.

Is Arginine natural? NOI 1.00

How we scored it

Standard amino acid produced by fermentation of plant sugars → 100% natural mass

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

Industrially produced by fermenting corn or other starch-derived glucose with Corynebacterium/Brevibacterium bacteria.

In plain English

An amino acid found in skin and hair proteins, used for conditioning and moisture-binding. Made by fermenting plant sugars such as corn glucose with bacteria.

Structure

(2S)-2-amino-5-(diaminomethylideneamino)pentanoic acid

PubChem CID 6322 ↗

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.
2Arginine. PubChem CID 6322. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
3ARGININE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
4ARGININE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ARGININE