Database/Denaturant/Diethyl Phthalate
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Diethyl Phthalate natural?

No. Built entirely from petrochemical phthalic anhydride and ethanol; no natural-origin fragment exists.

INCI nameDiethyl Phthalate
CAS84-66-2
FormulaC12H14O4 · 222.24 Da
FunctionDenaturant · Film Forming
FeedstockMade industrially from phthalic anhydride, itself from petrochemical…

How we scored it

Phthalate ester of benzene-1,2-dicarboxylic acid (petrochemical, from o-xylene) + ethanol; whole molecule petrochemical.
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

Made industrially from phthalic anhydride, itself from petrochemical o-xylene, esterified with ethanol. No commercial natural-origin route exists.

In plain English

A synthetic liquid made from petroleum-derived chemicals. Used in hair products and fragrances to help scent last longer and keep films flexible.

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Structure

2D structure of Diethyl Phthalate

diethyl benzene-1,2-dicarboxylate

PubChem CID 6781 ↗

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. 2Diethyl Phthalate. PubChem CID 6781. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3DIETHYL PHTHALATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4DIETHYL PHTHALATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=DIETHYL%20PHTHALATE