Database/Buffering/Bismuth Citrate
100% natural origin · ISO 16128

Is Bismuth Citrate natural?

Yes. Citric acid comes from microbial fermentation of sugars; bismuth is a mineral metal ion from ore, both natural origin.

INCI nameBismuth Citrate
CAS813-93-4
FormulaC6H5BiO7 · 398.08 Da
FunctionBuffering · Chelating
FeedstockMade by reacting bismuth (from mined ore) with…

How we scored it

Citrate fragment 192.1 Da (fermentation-derived) + bismuth metal ion 209.0 Da (mineral) = 398.1 Da, both natural-origin → 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

Made by reacting bismuth (from mined ore) with citric acid, produced by fermentation of sugar by Aspergillus niger. No alternative petrochemical route is used.

In plain English

A salt formed from bismuth metal and citric acid, a natural fermentation-derived fruit acid, used to buffer, chelate metals, or dye hair depending on the formula.

Structure

2D structure of Bismuth Citrate

bismuth 2-hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylate

PubChem CID 13135 ↗

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. 2Bismuth Citrate. PubChem CID 13135. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3BISMUTH CITRATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4BISMUTH CITRATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=BISMUTH%20CITRATE