Database/Emollient/Cetearyl Isononanoate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Cetearyl Isononanoate natural?

Mostly. The cetearyl fatty-alcohol blend is oleochemical while isononanoic acid derives from petrochemical propylene-based isononanol.

INCI nameCetearyl Isononanoate
CAS111937-03-2
FormulaC25H50O2 · 382.7 Da
FunctionEmollient · Hair Conditioning
FeedstockCetearyl Isononanoate esterifies oleochemical C16-18 cetearyl alcohol with…

How we scored it

Cetearyl alcohol (C16-18 blend, ~256 Da, natural) + isononanoic acid C9H18O2 158 Da (petrochemical) - H2O = 255/397 = 0.64.
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

Fischer esterification of isononanoic acid with cetyl alcohol. Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the score above.

Where it comes from

Cetearyl Isononanoate esterifies oleochemical C16-18 cetearyl alcohol with petrochemical isononanoic acid, made by oxidizing oxo-process isononanol from propylene. No natural route exists for the acid fragment.

In plain English

A light, silky emollient that conditions skin and hair without greasiness. It combines a natural coconut/palm-derived fatty alcohol blend with a branched acid made from petrochemical feedstock.

CosIng definition: Isononanoic acid, C16-18-alkyl esters

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Structure

2D structure of Cetearyl Isononanoate

hexadecyl 7-methyloctanoate

PubChem CID 9821352 ↗

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. 2Cetearyl Isononanoate. PubChem CID 9821352. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3CETEARYL ISONONANOATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4CETEARYL ISONONANOATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CETEARYL%20ISONONANOATE