How we scored it
Whole amino acid C4H8N2O3; fermentation-derived, no fragmentation needed.
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
Commercial asparagine is produced by fermenting plant-derived sugars with bacteria, or by hydrolysing plant proteins. No significant petrochemical synthesis route is used for the cosmetic-grade amino acid.
In plain English
An amino acid made by fermenting plant sugars, similar to other food-fermentation processes. Helps condition hair and skin and can carry a light fragrance.
Structure
(2S)-2,4-diamino-4-oxobutanoic acid
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.
- 2Asparagine. PubChem CID 6267. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
- 3ASPARAGINE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 4ASPARAGINE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ASPARAGINE