Database/Chelating/Galactaric Acid
100% natural origin · ISO 16128

Is Galactaric Acid natural?

Yes. Mucic acid derived by oxidising natural galactose (from dairy lactose or pectin); the oxidising reagent contributes no atoms to the product.

INCI nameGalactaric Acid
CAS526-99-8
FormulaC6H10O8 · 210.14 Da
FunctionChelating
FeedstockProduced industrially by nitric-acid oxidation of galactose or…

How we scored it

Made by nitric-acid oxidation of galactose/lactose; the oxidant is a reagent leaving no mass, all 6 carbons come from the sugar feedstock.
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

Produced industrially by nitric-acid oxidation of galactose or lactose (a dairy/pectin sugar). No petrochemical route is used; analogous to ascorbic acid made from glucose.

In plain English

A chelating agent made by chemically modifying milk sugar (lactose) or galactose from plants. Helps bind trace metals in formulations to improve stability.

Structure

2D structure of Galactaric Acid

(2S,3R,4S,5R)-2,3,4,5-tetrahydroxyhexanedioic acid

PubChem CID 3037582 ↗

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. 2Galactaric Acid. PubChem CID 3037582. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3GALACTARIC ACID. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4GALACTARIC ACID. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=GALACTARIC%20ACID