Database/Antimicrobial/Behenyl Benzoate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Behenyl Benzoate natural?

Mostly. Behenyl alcohol is hydrogenated from vegetable-oil behenic or erucic acid, whereas benzoic acid is oxidised from petrochemical toluene, so only the alcohol part is natural origin.

INCI nameBehenyl Benzoate
CAS103403-38-9
FormulaC29H50O2 · 430.7 Da
FunctionAntimicrobial · Emollient
FeedstockDominant route: oleochemical C22 alcohol from rapeseed or…

How we scored it

Behenyl-O C22H45O 325.6 natural; benzoyl C7H5O 105.1 petrochemical (toluene); total C29H50O2 430.7; 325.6/430.7 = 0.76.
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

Dominant route: oleochemical C22 alcohol from rapeseed or other vegetable oil esterified with toluene-derived benzoic acid. Supplier note: Ziegler-derived behenyl alcohol would lower the value, and natural benzoic acid is not commercially significant.

In plain English

An emollient ester that softens skin and is also listed as an antimicrobial. It joins behenyl alcohol, a fatty alcohol from rapeseed or other vegetable oils, with benzoic acid, which is made industrially from petrochemical toluene.

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Structure

2D structure of Behenyl Benzoate

docosyl benzoate

PubChem CID 3025489 ↗

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. 2Behenyl Benzoate. PubChem CID 3025489. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3BEHENYL BENZOATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4BEHENYL BENZOATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=BEHENYL%20BENZOATE