How we scored it
Oligosaccharide made enzymatically from lactose (dairy sugar) via beta-galactosidase — entirely natural carbohydrate → 1.0
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
Galactooligosaccharides are produced by enzymatic conversion of lactose (milk sugar) using beta-galactosidase. No petrochemical route is used.
In plain English
A prebiotic sugar made by enzymatically transforming milk sugar, used as a humectant to help skin retain moisture.
CosIng definition: Galactooligosaccharides are oligosaccharides produced enzymatically from lactose by β-galactosidase, and consist chiefly of 4'-galactosyl-lactose and 4 to 5 monosaccharides in which several galactoses are bonded to lactose, and a disaccharide consisting of galactose and glucose.
Structure
2-[4,5-dihydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)-6-[4,5,6-trihydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)oxan-3-yl]oxyoxan-3-yl]oxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxane-3,4,5-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.
- 2Galactooligosaccharides. PubChem CID 871. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
- 3GALACTOOLIGOSACCHARIDES. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 4GALACTOOLIGOSACCHARIDES. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=GALACTOOLIGOSACCHARIDES