Database/Antistatic/Glyoxylic Acid
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Glyoxylic Acid natural?

No. Both carbons come from petrochemical ethylene-derived glyoxal or from maleic acid, so no natural-origin fragment is present.

INCI nameGlyoxylic Acid
CAS298-12-4
FormulaC2H2O3 · 74.04 Da
FunctionAntistatic · Buffering
FeedstockDominant route is nitric acid oxidation of glyoxal,…

How we scored it

C2H2O3 74.04 Da: two-carbon aldehyde-acid made from petrochemical glyoxal or maleic acid; nitric acid and ozone leave no mass. 0 / 74.04 = 0.00.
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

Dominant route is nitric acid oxidation of glyoxal, itself made from ethylene glycol or acetaldehyde. Ozonolysis of maleic acid and electroreduction of oxalic acid are alternatives, and no commercially significant bio-based route exists.

In plain English

A small organic acid with an aldehyde group, used in hair-straightening products and to adjust pH. It is made industrially from petroleum-derived glyoxal or maleic acid.

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

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Structure

2D structure of Glyoxylic Acid

oxaldehydic acid

PubChem CID 760 ↗

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. 2Glyoxylic Acid. PubChem CID 760. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3GLYOXYLIC ACID. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4GLYOXYLIC ACID. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=GLYOXYLIC%20ACID