Database/Fragrance/Butyl Acetate
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Butyl Acetate natural?

No. Both butanol and industrial-grade acetic acid are predominantly petrochemical-derived for this solvent application.

INCI nameButyl Acetate
CAS123-86-4
FormulaC6H12O2 · 116.16 Da
FunctionFragrance · Solvent
FeedstockEsterified from n-butanol (oxo-process petrochemical route) and acetic…

How we scored it

Ester of butanol (synthetic alcohol, 0) and acetic acid (petrochemical-dominant methanol-carbonylation route, 0) -> 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

Esterified from n-butanol (oxo-process petrochemical route) and acetic acid (mainly methanol carbonylation). A minor fermentation-acetic-acid route exists but is not dominant for technical-grade material.

In plain English

A fast-evaporating solvent used in fragrances and nail products. It is made by reacting butanol with acetic acid, both typically produced from petrochemical feedstocks.

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Structure

2D structure of Butyl Acetate

butyl acetate

PubChem CID 31272 ↗

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. 2Butyl Acetate. PubChem CID 31272. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3BUTYL ACETATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4BUTYL ACETATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=BUTYL%20ACETATE