Database/Hair Dyeing/HC Blue No. 5
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is HC Blue No. 5 natural?

No. The nitro-diamine chromophore, epichlorohydrin and ethanolamine derivative are all synthesised from petrochemical benzene- and propylene-based feedstocks.

INCI nameHC Blue No. 5
CAS68478-64-8
FunctionHair Dyeing
FeedstockHC Blue No. 5 is made by reacting…

How we scored it

Epichlorohydrin + diethanolamine + nitro-phenylenediamine reaction product — all petrochemical aromatic-amine/epoxide chemistry. 0/350.80=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

HC Blue No. 5 is made by reacting a nitro-phenylenediamine dye intermediate with epichlorohydrin and a diethanolamine derivative, all petrochemical aromatic/epoxide chemistry. There is no natural-origin production route for this synthetic hair dye.

In plain English

A synthetic blue hair-dye molecule built from an aromatic nitro-diamine, epichlorohydrin and an ethanolamine derivative, all manufactured from petrochemical feedstocks.

CosIng definition: HC Blue No. 5 is the hair color

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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. 2HC BLUE NO. 5. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3HC BLUE NO. 5. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=HC%20BLUE%20NO.%205