Database/Antimicrobial/Benzalkonium Saccharinate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Benzalkonium Saccharinate natural?

Mostly not. Fatty chain is likely coconut-derived; the benzyl/methyl quaternising agents and the saccharin counter-ion are petrochemical, coal-tar/toluene-based.

INCI nameBenzalkonium Saccharinate
CAS68989-01-5
FormulaC51H84N3O3S+ · 819.3 Da
FunctionAntimicrobial · Antistatic
FeedstockMade by quaternising a coco-fatty dimethylamine with benzyl…

How we scored it

Mixture: C12-C14 fatty alkyl chain (~183 Da, oleochemical, n=1) natural; benzyl + 2x methyl + ammonium-N (petrochemical alkylating agents) + saccharinate anion (toluene-derived, n=0) ≈ 636 Da → 183/819 ≈ 0.22
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

Made by quaternising a coco-fatty dimethylamine with benzyl chloride and methyl chloride, then exchanging the counter-ion for saccharin (itself made from toluene). Composition varies as a mixture of alkyl chain lengths.

In plain English

A mixture of quaternary ammonium compounds paired with saccharin, used as a preservative and antistatic agent. The fatty alkyl chain can come from coconut-type oils, but the benzyl group, methyl groups and saccharin are all synthetic.

CosIng definition: Benzalkonium Saccharinate is a mixture of alkylbenzyldimethylammonium saccharinates that conforms generally to the formula:

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Structure

2D structure of Benzalkonium Saccharinate

benzyl-dimethyl-tetradecylazanium;benzyl-dodecyl-dimethylazanium;1,1-dioxo-1,2-benzothiazol-3-olate

PubChem CID 145864109 ↗

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. 2Benzalkonium Saccharinate. PubChem CID 145864109. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3BENZALKONIUM SACCHARINATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4BENZALKONIUM SACCHARINATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=BENZALKONIUM%20SACCHARINATE