How we scored it
Single sterol molecule isolated unchanged from natural fat; no synthetic fragment added. 1.0.
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
Isolated by extraction and purification from lanolin (sheep wool grease), and sometimes from fish oil or by conversion of plant sterols. No petrochemical total synthesis is used commercially.
In plain English
A natural fat-like substance identical to the cholesterol found in skin. Used to help condition and support the skin's surface. Usually extracted from lanolin (wool grease) or derived from plant sterols.
Structure
(3S,8S,9S,10R,13R,14S,17R)-10,13-dimethyl-17-[(2R)-6-methylheptan-2-yl]-2,3,4,7,8,9,11,12,14,15,16,17-dodecahydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthren-3-ol
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.
- 2Cholesterol. PubChem CID 5997. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
- 3CHOLESTEROL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 4CHOLESTEROL. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CHOLESTEROL