Database/Gel Forming/Carboxymethyl Chitin
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Carboxymethyl Chitin natural?

Mostly. Chitin backbone comes from crustacean shells or fungal cell walls; the carboxymethyl group is installed using petrochemical chloroacetic acid.

INCI nameCarboxymethyl Chitin
CAS52108-64-2
FunctionGel Forming · Hair Conditioning
FeedstockChitin is extracted from crustacean shells or fungal…

How we scored it

Chitin repeat unit C8H13NO5 203 Da (natural, crustacean/fungal biopolymer) + carboxymethyl substituent at typical DS 0.7 (0.7x58 Da = 41 Da, petrochemical, from chloroacetic acid) -> 203/244 = 0.83.
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

Chitin is extracted from crustacean shells or fungal biomass, then carboxymethylated with chloroacetic acid at a typical degree of substitution around 0.7. No natural route exists for the carboxymethyl step.

In plain English

A modified form of chitin, a fibre from crustacean shells or fungal cell walls, used to thicken and condition skin and hair.

CosIng definition: Chitin, 6-(carboxymethyl) ether

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. 2CARBOXYMETHYL CHITIN. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3CARBOXYMETHYL CHITIN. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CARBOXYMETHYL%20CHITIN