Database/Hair Conditioning/Cocoyl Methyl Glucamide
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Cocoyl Methyl Glucamide natural?

Mostly. Coconut fatty acid and the glucose-derived hexitol chain are natural, while the N-methylamino group comes from petrochemical methylamine (methanol plus ammonia).

INCI nameCocoyl Methyl Glucamide
CAS1591783-13-9
FunctionHair Conditioning · Skin Conditioning
FeedstockDominant route reacts coconut-derived cocoyl chloride with N-methylglucamine,…

How we scored it

Lauroyl proxy C12H23O 183 + glucamine chain C6H13O5 165 natural = 348; N-methylamino NCH3 29 (methylamine from methanol and ammonia) petrochemical; 348/377 = 0.92.
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

Dominant route reacts coconut-derived cocoyl chloride with N-methylglucamine, made by reductive amination of corn or wheat glucose with methylamine and hydrogen. Methylamine is made from methanol and ammonia, and the chloride of the acyl chloride leaves as salt.

In plain English

A cleansing, thickening and conditioning ingredient made by joining coconut fatty acids to N-methylglucamine, a sugar-derived amine. The fatty acids come from coconut oil and the glucamine from glucose reacted with methylamine.

CosIng definition: Cocoyl Methyl Glucamide is the product obtained by the reaction of Methylglucamine with cocoyl chloride.

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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. 2COCOYL METHYL GLUCAMIDE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3COCOYL METHYL GLUCAMIDE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=COCOYL%20METHYL%20GLUCAMIDE