Database/Antimicrobial/Chlorophene
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Chlorophene natural?

No. A chlorinated benzylphenol antimicrobial built entirely from petrochemical benzene and toluene derivatives.

INCI nameChlorophene
CAS120-32-1
FormulaC13H11ClO · 218.68 Da
FunctionAntimicrobial · Preservative
FeedstockProduced by chlorinating and benzylating petrochemical phenol. No…

How we scored it

Whole molecule from petrochemical benzyl chlorophenol; no natural fragment present. 0/218.68=0.00.
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

Produced by chlorinating and benzylating petrochemical phenol. No natural or bio-based route is used commercially.

In plain English

A synthetic antimicrobial preservative that controls bacteria and fungi in cosmetics. It is manufactured from petrochemical phenol and toluene.

CosIng definition: Chlorophene is the halogenated phenolic compound that conforms to the formula:

Natural alternatives with the same function

Structure

2D structure of Chlorophene

2-benzyl-4-chlorophenol

PubChem CID 8425 ↗

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. 2Chlorophene. PubChem CID 8425. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3CHLOROPHENE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4CHLOROPHENE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CHLOROPHENE