Database/Emollient/Dimethyl Adipate
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Dimethyl Adipate natural?

No. Adipic acid and its methanol ester both derive from the petrochemical cyclohexane/benzene route used for nylon-66 production.

INCI nameDimethyl Adipate
CAS627-93-0
FormulaC8H14O4 · 174.19 Da
FunctionEmollient · Plasticiser
FeedstockManufactured as part of the petrochemical DBE (dibasic…

How we scored it

Dimethyl ester of adipic acid; the DBE byproduct mixture from cyclohexane oxidation dominates supply. Whole molecule petrochemical, no natural fragments.
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

Manufactured as part of the petrochemical DBE (dibasic ester) solvent mixture, a byproduct of adipic acid production for nylon 6,6. No commercially significant natural route exists for this cosmetic solvent.

In plain English

A solvent and skin-softening ingredient (emollient) used in cosmetics and as a plasticiser. Produced from petrochemical feedstocks as a byproduct of nylon manufacturing.

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Structure

2D structure of Dimethyl Adipate

dimethyl hexanedioate

PubChem CID 12329 ↗

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. 2Dimethyl Adipate. PubChem CID 12329. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3DIMETHYL ADIPATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4DIMETHYL ADIPATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=DIMETHYL%20ADIPATE