Database/Antimicrobial/Cetrimonium Tosylate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Cetrimonium Tosylate natural?

Mostly not. Fatty C16 chain is oleochemical; the trimethylammonium head and toluene-derived tosylate counter-ion are both petrochemical.

INCI nameCetrimonium Tosylate
CAS138-32-9
FormulaC26H49NO3S · 455.7 Da
FunctionAntimicrobial · Antistatic
FeedstockThe cetyl chain comes from coconut/palm fatty alcohol…

How we scored it

Hexadecyl C16H33 (225.4, natural) vs N(CH3)3 (59.1, petrochemical methyl/ammonia-N) + tosylate C7H7O3S (171.2, petrochemical, toluene) = 225.4/455.7 = 0.49.
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

The cetyl chain comes from coconut/palm fatty alcohol quaternized with methyl chloride, and the tosylate counter-ion is derived from toluene. Both the quaternizing methyls and the tosylate are petrochemical.

In plain English

A conditioning ingredient combining a coconut/palm-derived fatty chain with a manufactured ammonium head group and a toluene-based salt. Used in hair conditioners to reduce static and improve combing, and as a mild antimicrobial.

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Structure

2D structure of Cetrimonium Tosylate

hexadecyl(trimethyl)azanium;4-methylbenzenesulfonate

PubChem CID 9868636 ↗

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. 2Cetrimonium Tosylate. PubChem CID 9868636. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3CETRIMONIUM TOSYLATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4CETRIMONIUM TOSYLATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CETRIMONIUM%20TOSYLATE