Database/Hair Dyeing/Basic Blue 26
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Basic Blue 26 natural?

Mostly not. Fully synthetic triarylmethane dye built from petrochemical aromatic amines; only the chloride counter-ion is mineral-derived.

INCI nameBasic Blue 26
CAS2580-56-5
FormulaC33H32ClN3 · 506.1 Da
FunctionHair Dyeing
FeedstockManufactured by condensation of synthetic aromatic amines (dimethylaniline,…

How we scored it

Cation C33H32N3 (~470.6 Da, synthetic triarylmethane dye) + chloride counter-ion (35.45 Da, mineral, natural) → 35.45/506.1 = 0.07.
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

Manufactured by condensation of synthetic aromatic amines (dimethylaniline, naphthylamine derivatives) to build the dye chromophore, isolated as the chloride salt. No natural route exists.

In plain English

A synthetic dye used to colour hair blue. Built from petrochemical aromatic amines; only its chloride counter-ion is mineral-derived.

CosIng definition: Basic Blue 26 is classed chemically as a triarylmethane colour. It conforms to the formula:

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Structure

2D structure of Basic Blue 26

[4-[bis[4-(dimethylamino)phenyl]methylidene]naphthalen-1-ylidene]-phenylazanium chloride

PubChem CID 17407 ↗

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. 2Basic Blue 26. PubChem CID 17407. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3BASIC BLUE 26. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4BASIC BLUE 26. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=BASIC%20BLUE%2026