Database/Hair Conditioning/Caprooyl Phytosphingosine
Route-dependent · ISO 16128

Is Caprooyl Phytosphingosine natural?

It depends. Phytosphingosine comes from yeast fermentation; caproic acid comes from coconut or palm kernel oil (natural) or from oxo hexanal (petrochemical).

INCI nameCaprooyl Phytosphingosine
CAS249728-94-7
FormulaC24H49NO4 · 415.6 Da
FunctionHair Conditioning · Skin Conditioning
FeedstockPhytosphingosine is made by sugar fermentation with ciferrii…

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
Oleochemical caproic acidCoconut or palm kernel oil C6 fraction1.00unknown, about 50%
Oxo caproic acid1-Pentene hydroformylation to hexanal, then oxidation0.76unknown, about 50%
Ask your supplier. A batch-specific certificate of origin or bio-based carbon test (ASTM D6866) settles which route applies.

How we scored it

Phytosphingosine residue C18H38NO3 316.5 natural; caproyl C6H11O 99.2 natural if oleochemical, petrochemical if oxo; total 415.7: 1.0 or 316.5/415.7 = 0.76.
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

Phytosphingosine is made by sugar fermentation with ciferrii yeast and acylated with caproic acid. Hexanoic acid is supplied both from coconut or palm kernel oil and by the oxo process, and the dominant cosmetic route is not established.

In plain English

A ceramide-like skin and hair conditioner that joins a short fatty acid to a lipid made by yeast fermentation. It helps support the skin's moisture barrier in creams and hair products.

CosIng definition: Caprooyl Phytosphingosine is the product obtained by the reaction of Caproic Acid and Phytosphingosine

Natural alternatives with the same function

Acacia Concinna Fruit Powder 100% natural origin

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 Acronychia Acidula Fruit Extract 100% natural origin

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 Actinidia Chinensis Fruit 100% natural origin

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 Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil 100% natural origin

An oil pressed from baobab tree seeds, used to nourish and condition skin and hair. It is harvested…

 Adansonia Grandidieri Seed Oil 100% natural origin

A nourishing oil pressed from the seeds of the Madagascar baobab tree. It's used to condition skin and…

 Agastache Rugosa Extract 100% natural origin

An extract of the whole Korean mint plant (Agastache rugosa), made by soaking the plant in a solvent…

Structure

2D structure of Caprooyl Phytosphingosine

N-[(2S,3S,4R)-1,3,4-trihydroxyoctadecan-2-yl]hexanamide

PubChem CID 10251295 ↗

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. 2Caprooyl Phytosphingosine. PubChem CID 10251295. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3CAPROOYL PHYTOSPHINGOSINE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4CAPROOYL PHYTOSPHINGOSINE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CAPROOYL%20PHYTOSPHINGOSINE