Database/Hair Conditioning/Ceramide AS
Route-dependent · ISO 16128

Is Ceramide AS natural?

It depends. This is the same sphingoid-base question that makes Ceramide NG and Ceramide 2 route-dependent on this site, so a single 100 percent natural value overstates the lower-cost grades. Premium material uses a fermentation-derived base; mass-market material is built synthetically.

INCI nameCeramide AS
CAS100403-19-8
FormulaC36H71NO4 · 582.0 Da
FunctionHair Conditioning · Skin Conditioning
FeedstockPremium ceramides are made by fermenting sugars to…

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
fermentation-derived sphingoid base + natural alpha-hydroxy fatty acidyeast/glucose fermentation plus plant fatty acid1.00~40%
total chemical synthesispetrochemical aldehydes and alkenes0.00~60%
Ask your supplier. A batch-specific certificate of origin or bio-based carbon test (ASTM D6866) settles which route applies.

How we scored it

Ceramide AS is C36H71NO4. No fragment split applies: the fatty acid half is oleochemical on every route, and the sphingoid base is either fermentation-derived, giving 1.00 for the whole molecule, or built by total chemical synthesis from petrochemical intermediates, in which case only the fatty acid half is natural and the value falls to 0.00 for a fully synthetic build.
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

Premium ceramides are made by fermenting sugars to the sphingoid base, then acylating it with a natural alpha-hydroxy fatty acid. Lower-cost versions are built by total chemical synthesis from petrochemical starting materials.

In plain English

A skin-identical lipid that helps restore the skin's barrier. It is produced by fermenting sugars to build the lipid backbone, then combining it with a natural fatty acid.

CosIng definition: Ceramide AS, formerly known under either of the INCI Names, Ceramide 4 or Ceramide 5, is the N-acylated sphingolipid consisting of sphingosine having the D-erythro structure linked to an alpha-hydroxy saturated or unsaturated fatty acid.

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Structure

2D structure of Ceramide AS

N-(1,3,4-trihydroxyoctadecan-2-yl)octadec-9-enamide

PubChem CID 74945544 ↗

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. 2Ceramide AS. PubChem CID 74945544. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3CERAMIDE AS. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4CERAMIDE AS. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CERAMIDE%20AS