Database/Absorbent/Calcium Starch Octenylsuccinate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Calcium Starch Octenylsuccinate natural?

Mostly. Starch is natural; a small octenylsuccinate group from petrochemicals is attached; the calcium is mineral.

INCI nameCalcium Starch Octenylsuccinate
FunctionAbsorbent · Emulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockStarch reacted with octenylsuccinic anhydride and neutralised with…

How we scored it

Starch backbone about 97% w/w natural; the octenylsuccinate ester (1-octene and maleic anhydride, petrochemical) is about 3% w/w at the regulatory maximum substitution; calcium is mineral → 0.97. Same as Aluminum and Sodium Starch Octenylsuccinate.
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

Starch reacted with octenylsuccinic anhydride and neutralised with calcium.

In plain English

A modified corn starch used to thicken and stabilise emulsions, lightly treated with a fatty petrochemical group and calcium. Mostly natural starch, with only a small synthetic modification.

CosIng definition: Calcium Starch Octenylsuccinate is the calcium salt of the reaction product of octenylsuccinic anhydride with Corn Starch

Natural alternatives with the same function

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 STARCH OCTENYLSUCCINATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3CALCIUM STARCH OCTENYLSUCCINATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CALCIUM%20STARCH%20OCTENYLSUCCINATE