How we scored it
Triterpene acid; every carbon traces to betulin from birch bark, oxidation reagents leave no mass (cf. azelaic acid precedent). 1.0.
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
Betulinic acid is produced by extraction or mild oxidation of betulin from birch bark, an abundant natural source. No petrochemical synthesis route is used commercially.
In plain English
A skin-conditioning compound found in birch bark, usually obtained by extracting or lightly modifying the bark's natural betulin. Every carbon in the final molecule traces back to the plant.
Structure
(1R,3aS,5aR,5bR,7aR,9S,11aR,11bR,13aR,13bR)-9-hydroxy-5a,5b,8,8,11a-pentamethyl-1-prop-1-en-2-yl-1,2,3,4,5,6,7,7a,9,10,11,11b,12,13,13a,13b-hexadecahydrocyclopenta[a]chrysene-3a-carboxylic acid
References
- 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.
- 2Betulinic Acid. PubChem CID 64971. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
- 3BETULINIC ACID. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 4BETULINIC ACID. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=BETULINIC%20ACID