Database/Film Forming/Cellulose Acetate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Cellulose Acetate natural?

Mostly. The cellulose backbone is natural wood or cotton pulp; the acetate ester caps count as petrochemical acetylation per this site's convention.

INCI nameCellulose Acetate
CAS9004-35-7
FunctionFilm Forming
FeedstockWood pulp or cotton cellulose is acetylated with…

How we scored it

Anhydroglucose unit 162Da (natural) minus 2.5 substituted H's, plus 2.5 acetyl caps (COCH3, 43Da each, petrochemical), DS~2.5 = 160/267 = 0.60
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.

How it’s made

Acetylation of a cellulose OH by acetic anhydride: addition, collapse, proton transfer. Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the score above.

Where it comes from

Wood pulp or cotton cellulose is acetylated with acetic anhydride to a typical degree of substitution of about 2.5 per glucose unit. The backbone is natural; the acetyl groups are synthetic.

In plain English

A film-forming ingredient used in nail polish, hairspray and mascara to create a flexible coating as the product dries. It's made by treating plant cellulose from wood pulp or cotton with an acetic-acid-based chemical treatment, leaving part of the molecule synthetic.

CosIng definition: Cellulose, acetates

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