Database/Anticaking/Calcium Stearate
100% natural origin · ISO 16128

Is Calcium Stearate natural?

Yes. Stearate traces to a C18 vegetable-oil fatty acid; calcium is a natural mineral counter-ion; both fragments are natural origin.

INCI nameCalcium Stearate
CAS1592-23-0
FormulaC36H70CaO4 · 607.0 Da
FunctionAnticaking · Colorant
FeedstockMade by reacting stearic acid, typically from palm…

How we scored it

2x stearate C18H35O2 (oleochemical, natural) + Ca (mineral, natural) = C36H70CaO4; all fragments natural. 1.0.
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 reacting stearic acid, typically from palm or other vegetable oil, with a calcium source. The acid-base salt formation adds no petrochemical mass.

In plain English

The calcium salt of stearic acid, a fatty acid usually from vegetable oils. Used as an anti-caking, thickening and stabilising ingredient in powders and emulsions.

CosIng definition: Calcium Stearate is the calcium salt of stearic acid. It conforms to the formula:

Structure

2D structure of Calcium Stearate

calcium bis(octadecanoate)

PubChem CID 15324 ↗

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 Stearate. PubChem CID 15324. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3CALCIUM STEARATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4CALCIUM STEARATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CALCIUM%20STEARATE