Database/Humectant/Butylene Glycol
Route-dependent · ISO 16128

Is Butylene Glycol natural?

It depends. Manufactured either from petrochemical acetaldehyde or from fermented corn sugar; these routes give opposite NOI values and market share is unclear.

INCI nameButylene Glycol
CAS107-88-0
FormulaC4H10O2 · 90.12 Da
FunctionHumectant · Fragrance
FeedstockMost Butylene Glycol is produced petrochemically from acetaldehyde…

Why the score varies

This ingredient is made commercially by more than one route, and ISO 16128 scores the feedstock actually used. Without a supplier certificate of origin the value cannot be claimed.

RouteFeedstockNOIShareNotes
petrochemicalacetaldehyde/crotonaldehyde hydrogenation0.00majority (assumed dominant)
fermentationcorn sugar fermentation1.00minority, growing
Ask your supplier. A batch-specific certificate of origin or bio-based carbon test (ASTM D6866) settles which route applies.

How we scored it

1,3-Butanediol: petrochemical route (acetaldehyde/crotonaldehyde hydrogenation) = 0.0; fermentation route (corn sugar) = 1.0; two commercially significant routes, dominant share uncertain
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.

How it’s made

Base-catalysed aldol addition of acetaldehyde to itself. The film draws the key step and names the steps after it. Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the score above.

Where it comes from

Most Butylene Glycol is produced petrochemically from acetaldehyde via crotonaldehyde hydrogenation. A smaller but commercially real fermentation-based route from corn sugar also exists and is marketed as bio-based.

In plain English

A humectant and solvent used to keep products moist and help dissolve other ingredients. It can be made from petroleum-derived acetaldehyde or, less commonly, from fermented corn sugar; the source varies by supplier.

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Structure

2D structure of Butylene Glycol

butane-1,3-diol

PubChem CID 7896 ↗

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. 2Butylene Glycol. PubChem CID 7896. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3BUTYLENE GLYCOL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4BUTYLENE GLYCOL. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=BUTYLENE%20GLYCOL