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.
| Route | Feedstock | NOI | Share | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural thymol | Ajowan or thyme essential-oil thymol, then chlorination | 0.81 | ~20% | |
| Synthetic thymol | m-Cresol and propene, then chlorination | 0.00 | ~80% (dominant) |
How we scored it
Where it comes from
Thymol is chlorinated (for example with sulfuryl chloride) to give chlorothymol; the thymol is mostly synthetic from m-cresol and propene. Natural thymol from ajowan or thyme oil is a smaller alternative supply.
In plain English
A chlorinated version of thymol, the phenol found in thyme oil, used for its antimicrobial and deodorant action in oral-care and other products. It is made by adding chlorine to thymol, which is mostly synthetic but can be extracted from thyme or ajowan oil.
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Structure
4-chloro-5-methyl-2-propan-2-ylphenol
References
- 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.
- 2Chlorothymol. PubChem CID 6982. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
- 3CHLOROTHYMOL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 4CHLOROTHYMOL. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CHLOROTHYMOL