Database/Emollient/Butyl Isostearate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Butyl Isostearate natural?

Mostly. Isostearic acid is oleochemical, from oleic acid dimerization (natural); butanol used to form the ester is a petrochemical alcohol.

INCI nameButyl Isostearate
CAS94109-07-6
FormulaC22H44O2 · 340.6 Da
FunctionEmollient · Skin Conditioning
FeedstockMade by esterifying isostearic acid, derived from vegetable…

How we scored it

Isostearic acyl C18H35O 267.5 Da (natural) + butyl C4H9 73.1 Da (petrochemical, minus ester water) = 340.6 → 0.79.
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 esterifying isostearic acid, derived from vegetable oleic acid, with petrochemical butanol. Isostearic acid is a branched-chain oleochemical.

In plain English

An emollient that gives creams and lotions a smooth, non-greasy feel. Made by combining a branched fatty acid from vegetable oil with butanol, a petroleum-derived alcohol.

Natural alternatives with the same function

Structure

2D structure of Butyl Isostearate

butyl 16-methylheptadecanoate

PubChem CID 3023587 ↗

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 Isostearate. PubChem CID 3023587. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3BUTYL ISOSTEARATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4BUTYL ISOSTEARATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=BUTYL%20ISOSTEARATE