Database/Emollient/Butyl Myristate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Butyl Myristate natural?

Mostly. Myristic acid is a coconut/palm-derived fatty acid; n-butanol is explicitly listed as a synthetic petrochemical alcohol.

INCI nameButyl Myristate
CAS110-36-1
FormulaC18H36O2 · 284.5 Da
FunctionEmollient · Skin Conditioning
FeedstockMade by esterifying myristic acid, usually from coconut…

How we scored it

Myristic acid (C14, natural) acyl 211.4 Da; butanol (named petrochemical alcohol) alkoxy 73.1 Da; 211.4/284.5=0.74
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 myristic acid, usually from coconut or palm kernel oil, with n-butanol, a petrochemical alcohol made via the oxo-process. No significant natural route to butanol is used for this ester.

In plain English

An emollient ester used to soften skin, made by combining a coconut or palm-derived fatty acid with a petrochemical alcohol called butanol.

Natural alternatives with the same function

Structure

2D structure of Butyl Myristate

butyl tetradecanoate

PubChem CID 8047 ↗

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 Myristate. PubChem CID 8047. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3BUTYL MYRISTATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4BUTYL MYRISTATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=BUTYL%20MYRISTATE