Database/Skin Conditioning/Emodin
100% natural origin · ISO 16128

Is Emodin natural?

Yes. Isolated from rhubarb/knotweed root extract; no commercially significant petrochemical total-synthesis route for cosmetic supply.

INCI nameEmodin
CAS518-82-1
FormulaC15H10O5 · 270.24 Da
FunctionSkin Conditioning
FeedstockExtracted and purified from rhubarb (Rheum) or knotweed…

How we scored it

Anthraquinone phytochemical; commercially obtained by extraction/isolation from plant sources (rhubarb, knotweed), so the whole molecule is a natural fragment (n=1).
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 and purified from rhubarb (Rheum) or knotweed (Polygonum/Reynoutria) root, where it occurs naturally as an anthraquinone pigment. Laboratory total synthesis exists but is not the commercial cosmetic-grade route.

In plain English

A plant pigment from rhubarb or knotweed root used to condition skin. It's isolated directly from the plant rather than built from scratch.

Structure

2D structure of Emodin

1,3,8-trihydroxy-6-methylanthracene-9,10-dione

PubChem CID 3220 ↗

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. 2Emodin. PubChem CID 3220. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3EMODIN. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4EMODIN. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=EMODIN