How we scored it
Mineral acid mined/extracted from borate ore or brine → 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
Produced by processing borate minerals (e.g. borax, colemanite) or brine from natural deposits. No petrochemical route exists for this inorganic mineral acid.
In plain English
A mild mineral acid mined from natural borate deposits or brine. Used in small amounts to buffer pH, discourage microbial growth and act as a mild denaturant. Comes from naturally occurring boron minerals.
Structure
boric 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.
- 2Boric Acid. PubChem CID 7628. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
- 3BORIC ACID. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 4BORIC ACID. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=BORIC%20ACID