Database/Antioxidant/BHA
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is BHA natural?

No. Synthesised from petrochemical p-methoxyphenol and isobutylene; no natural feedstock is used commercially.

INCI nameBHA
CAS25013-16-5
FormulaC11H16O2 · 180.24 Da
FunctionAntioxidant · Fragrance
FeedstockManufactured from petroleum-derived p-methoxyphenol alkylated with isobutylene from…

How we scored it

Whole molecule is a substituted phenol (tert-butyl-4-methoxyphenol); petrochemical, no natural fragment.
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 from petroleum-derived p-methoxyphenol alkylated with isobutylene from cracked petroleum gases. No natural or fermentation route exists for this antioxidant.

In plain English

A synthetic antioxidant made from petroleum-based chemicals that helps stop oils and fragrance in a product from turning rancid.

CosIng definition: BHA is a mixture of isomers of tertiary butyl-substituted 4-methoxyphenols. It consists chiefly of 3-t-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole with lesser amounts of 2-t-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole. It conforms generally to the formula:

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Structure

2D structure of BHA

2-tert-butyl-4-methoxyphenol

PubChem CID 8456 ↗

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. 2BHA. PubChem CID 8456. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3BHA. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4BHA. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=BHA