Database/Fragrance/Benzoic Acid
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Benzoic Acid natural?

No. An aromatic acid manufactured by oxidizing petrochemical toluene, even though it occurs naturally in trace amounts in some plants.

INCI nameBenzoic Acid
CAS65-85-0
FormulaC7H6O2 · 122.12 Da
FunctionFragrance · Preservative
FeedstockProduced industrially by the catalytic air oxidation of…

How we scored it

Toluene derivative, explicitly petrochemical; 0.0.
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

Produced industrially by the catalytic air oxidation of toluene, a petrochemical feedstock. Trace natural occurrence, such as in gum benzoin, is not the commercial source.

In plain English

An aromatic acid produced industrially from petrochemical feedstock, though it also occurs naturally in some plants. Used to preserve products and to adjust pH.

CosIng definition: Benzoic Acid is an aromatic acid that conforms to the formula:

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Structure

2D structure of Benzoic Acid

benzoic acid

PubChem CID 243 ↗

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. 2Benzoic Acid. PubChem CID 243. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3BENZOIC ACID. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4BENZOIC ACID. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=BENZOIC%20ACID