Database/Preservative/Calcium Propionate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Calcium Propionate natural?

Mostly not. Mineral calcium ion is natural; propionic acid is predominantly petrochemical at commercial/technical grade.

INCI nameCalcium Propionate
CAS4075-81-4
FormulaC6H10CaO4 · 186.22 Da
FunctionPreservative
FeedstockMade from a calcium source and propionic acid,…

How we scored it

Ca2+ (mineral, natural) 40.08 Da; 2x propionate (petrochemical, propylene/ethylene route) 146.14 Da; 186.22 total; 40.08/186.22 = 0.22.
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 from a calcium source and propionic acid, which is overwhelmingly produced from petrochemical propylene or ethylene rather than fermentation. The calcium counter-ion is mineral-derived.

In plain English

A calcium salt used as a preservative. The calcium comes from a mineral source; the propionic acid portion is mostly petrochemical.

CosIng definition: Calcium Propionate is the calcium salt of propionic acid that conforms to the formula:

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Structure

2D structure of Calcium Propionate

calcium propanoate

PubChem CID 19999 ↗

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. 2Calcium Propionate. PubChem CID 19999. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3CALCIUM PROPIONATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4CALCIUM PROPIONATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CALCIUM%20PROPIONATE