Database/Antimicrobial/Benzylparaben
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Benzylparaben natural?

No. Both benzyl alcohol and p-hydroxybenzoic acid are petrochemical benzene derivatives, per this site's convention for parabens and benzyl alcohol.

INCI nameBenzylparaben
CAS94-18-8
FormulaC14H12O3 · 228.24 Da
FunctionAntimicrobial
FeedstockManufactured by esterifying benzyl alcohol with p-hydroxybenzoic acid,…

How we scored it

Ester of benzyl alcohol and p-hydroxybenzoic acid, both benzene-derivative fragments per this site's convention; entire molecule 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

Manufactured by esterifying benzyl alcohol with p-hydroxybenzoic acid, both produced from petrochemical benzene. No natural-origin route is commercially used for either fragment.

In plain English

A preservative made by combining benzyl alcohol and para-hydroxybenzoic acid, both produced from petrochemical benzene derivatives. Used in small amounts to inhibit microbial growth in formulas.

CosIng definition: Benzylparaben is the ester of benzyl alcohol and p-hydroxybenzoic acid. It conforms to the formula:

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Structure

2D structure of Benzylparaben

benzyl 4-hydroxybenzoate

PubChem CID 7180 ↗

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. 2Benzylparaben. PubChem CID 7180. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3BENZYLPARABEN. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4BENZYLPARABEN. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=BENZYLPARABEN