Database/Skin Conditioning/Ceramide NG
Route-dependent · ISO 16128

Is Ceramide NG natural?

It depends. The fatty acid is oleochemical; the sphinganine backbone can be fermentation-derived or fully synthesized from petrochemical intermediates.

INCI nameCeramide NG
CAS2304-80-5
FormulaC36H73NO3 · 568.0 Da
FunctionSkin Conditioning
FeedstockPremium ceramides use a yeast-fermentation-derived sphinganine base acylated…

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 sphinganine + natural fatty acidyeast/glucose fermentation plus plant fatty acid1.00~40%
total chemical synthesispetrochemical aldehydes/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

Fatty acid portion natural in both routes; sphinganine base is either fermentation-derived (natural) or built by total petrochemical synthesis
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 use a yeast-fermentation-derived sphinganine base acylated with a natural fatty acid. Lower-cost versions are built by total chemical synthesis from petrochemical starting materials.

In plain English

A lipid that mimics one of the fats naturally found in skin, used to condition skin and hair. It can be made from fermentation-derived building blocks or by chemical synthesis, so its origin varies by supplier.

CosIng definition: Ceramide NG, formerly known under the INCI Name Ceramide 2, is the N-acylated sphingolipid consisting of Sphinganine having the D-erythro structure linked to a normal saturated or unsaturated fatty acid. As opposed to the broader definition for Ceramide 2 which includes sphingolipids consisting of either sphingosine or dihydrosphingosine (sphinganine), Ceramide NG is limited to sphinganine-based ceramides

Natural alternatives with the same function

Structure

2D structure of Ceramide NG

N-[(2S,3R)-1,3-dihydroxyoctadecan-2-yl]octadecanamide

PubChem CID 5283573 ↗

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 NG. PubChem CID 5283573. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3CERAMIDE NG. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4CERAMIDE NG. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CERAMIDE%20NG