Database/Light Stabilizer/Disteardimonium Hectorite
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Disteardimonium Hectorite natural?

Mostly. Hectorite is a natural smectite clay, the stearyl chains are oleochemical and the chloride is a mineral counter-ion. Only the dimethylamino head, made with petrochemical methylating agents, is not natural origin.

INCI nameDisteardimonium Hectorite
CAS97280-96-1
FormulaC38H82LiMgNNaO12Si4- · 911.7 Da
FunctionLight Stabilizer · Viscosity Controlling
FeedstockNatural hectorite clay is reacted with distearyldimethylammonium chloride…

How we scored it

Assuming about 65 percent hectorite clay by mass, which is fully mineral, and about 35 percent distearyldimethylammonium chloride: in the quaternary compound the two stearyl chains (2 x C18H37 = 506.99 Da) and the chloride (35.45 Da) are natural and only the dimethylamino nitrogen (44.08 Da) is petrochemical, so that portion is 542.44/586.52 = 0.92. Overall 0.65 x 1.00 + 0.35 x 0.92 = 0.97.
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

Natural hectorite clay is reacted with distearyldimethylammonium chloride made from oleochemical stearylamine and petrochemical methylating agents. The clay-to-quaternary ratio varies by grade and was assumed typical.

In plain English

A thickening and stabilising ingredient made from hectorite, a natural clay, treated with a conditioning compound derived mostly from stearic acid, a vegetable fatty acid. It's used in creams and stick products to control texture and prevent separation.

CosIng definition: 1-Octadecanaminium, N,N-dimethyl-N-octadecyl-, chloride, reaction products with hectorite

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Structure

2D structure of Disteardimonium Hectorite

lithium;magnesium;sodium;dimethyl(dioctadecyl)azanium;1,3,5,7-tetraoxido-2,4,6,8,9,10-hexaoxa-1,3,5,7-tetrasilatricyclo[5.1.1.13,5]decane;dihydroxide

PubChem CID 131634960 ↗

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. 2Disteardimonium Hectorite. PubChem CID 131634960. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=DISTEARDIMONIUM%20HECTORITE