How we scored it
Flavan-3-ol flavonoid; cosmetic-grade material is purified by extraction from tea/cocoa, not total synthesis, so the whole molecule counts as natural.
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
Purified by extraction from green tea or cocoa. Total chemical synthesis exists but is not the typical commercial cosmetic-ingredient route.
In plain English
An antioxidant compound naturally found in tea and cocoa, used in skin, hair and oral care. It's extracted and purified from these plants rather than made synthetically.
CosIng definition: Epicatechin is the organic compound that conforms to the formula :
Structure
(2R,3R)-2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3,4-dihydro-2H-chromene-3,5,7-triol
References
- 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.
- 2Epicatechin. PubChem CID 72276. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
- 3EPICATECHIN. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 4EPICATECHIN. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=EPICATECHIN