Database/Fragrance/Formic Acid
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Formic Acid natural?

No. Cosmetic-grade formic acid is sourced from synthetic methanol-carbonylation production, not from natural fermentation or plant/insect extraction.

INCI nameFormic Acid
CAS64-18-6
FormulaCH2O2 · 46.025 Da
FunctionFragrance · Preservative
FeedstockIndustrially produced from methanol and carbon monoxide (both…

How we scored it

CH2O2: industrial route is methanol + CO carbonylation to methyl formate, then hydrolysis (petrochemical/natural-gas methanol) → 0.0; minor natural occurrence is not commercially supplied
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

Industrially produced from methanol and carbon monoxide (both typically natural-gas derived) via methyl formate hydrolysis. Natural occurrence in ants and plants is not a commercial cosmetic-ingredient source.

In plain English

A simple acid used to adjust pH, as a preservative, or as a fragrance note; it also occurs naturally in ants and nettles. Commercially it is made industrially from methanol and carbon monoxide, not extracted from nature.

CosIng definition: Formic Acid is an organic acid that conforms to the formula:

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Structure

2D structure of Formic Acid

formic acid

PubChem CID 284 ↗

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. 2Formic Acid. PubChem CID 284. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3FORMIC ACID. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4FORMIC ACID. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=FORMIC%20ACID