Database/Hair Dyeing/Basic Blue 41
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Basic Blue 41 natural?

Mostly not. Synthetic benzothiazolium azo (methoxy carbon petrochemical, as for Behentrimonium Methosulfate) hair dye supplied as a salt. Only the sulfur trioxide of the methyl-sulfate counter-ion counts as natural origin under the site's mineral counter-ion convention; every carbon in the coloured cation is petrochemical.

INCI nameBasic Blue 41
CAS12270-13-2
FormulaC20H26N4O6S2 · 482.6 Da
FunctionHair Dyeing
FeedstockPetrochemical aromatic amines and couplers assembled into the…

How we scored it

Basic Blue 41 methyl sulfate C20H26N4O6S2 482.6 Da: sulfur trioxide of the methyl-sulfate counter-ion SO3 80.1 Da is mineral-derived (natural); the benzothiazolium azo (methoxy carbon petrochemical, as for Behentrimonium Methosulfate) dye cation 402.5 Da is built entirely from petrochemical aromatic intermediates → 80.1/482.6 = 0.17.
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

Petrochemical aromatic amines and couplers assembled into the dye cation, isolated as its salt.

In plain English

A synthetic dye used to colour hair. Made from a petrochemical aromatic dye molecule paired with a counter-ion that is part mineral, part petrochemical.

Natural alternatives with the same function

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 Dihydroxyacetone 100% natural origin

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 Epicatechin 100% natural origin

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 Lawsonia Inermis Extract 100% natural origin

A plant extract from the henna shrub, used to condition hair and skin and add a reddish tint.…

 Pyrogallol 100% natural origin

A hair-dye ingredient traditionally made by heating gallic acid, itself extracted from plant tannins in gallnuts, until it…

Structure

2D structure of Basic Blue 41

2-[N-ethyl-4-[(6-methoxy-3-methyl-1,3-benzothiazol-3-ium-2-yl)diazenyl]anilino]ethanol;methyl sulfate

PubChem CID 83008 ↗

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 41. PubChem CID 83008. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3BASIC BLUE 41. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4BASIC BLUE 41. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=BASIC%20BLUE%2041