Database/Antioxidant/Crocin
100% natural origin · ISO 16128

Is Crocin natural?

Yes. Crocin is a saffron/gardenia carotenoid pigment obtained by extraction; no commercially significant petrochemical synthesis exists.

INCI nameCrocin
CAS42553-65-1
FunctionAntioxidant · Colorant
FeedstockExtracted from saffron (Crocus sativus) stigmas or gardenia…

How we scored it

Carotenoid diester glycoside; every carbon traces to plant biosynthesis (crocetin + gentiobiose sugars). Obtained by extraction, not synthesis. 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

Extracted from saffron (Crocus sativus) stigmas or gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides) fruit using water or aqueous-alcohol extraction. No synthetic manufacturing route is commercially used.

In plain English

A natural yellow-orange pigment and antioxidant extracted from saffron or gardenia fruit, used to add colour and antioxidant benefits to skincare and cosmetic formulas.

CosIng definition: Crocin is the organic compound that conforms to the formula

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