Database/Antimicrobial/Hexamidine Diparaben
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Hexamidine Diparaben natural?

No. Hexamidine is built from 4-hydroxybenzonitrile (phenol-derived), a petrochemical C6 chain and ammonia-derived amidine nitrogen, and the paraben acid comes from phenol, so no fragment is natural-origin.

INCI nameHexamidine Diparaben
CAS93841-83-9
FormulaC34H38N4O8 · 630.7 Da
FunctionAntimicrobial · Preservative
FeedstockHexamidine is synthesised from 4-hydroxybenzonitrile and a dihalohexane…

How we scored it

C34H38N4O8 630.7 Da: hexamidine (hexanediyl-dioxy-dibenzamidine) and two 4-hydroxybenzoic acids (phenol-derived) all petrochemical. 0 / 630.7 = 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

Hexamidine is synthesised from 4-hydroxybenzonitrile and a dihalohexane via a bis-nitrile and amidine formation, then combined with two equivalents of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid made from phenol. No natural-origin route exists.

In plain English

A synthetic preservative made by combining hexamidine, an antimicrobial molecule, with two molecules of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, the acid behind parabens. It is used to keep water-containing products free of microbes. It is made in a chemical plant from petroleum-derived chemicals.

CosIng definition: Hexamidine Paraben is the Hexamidine salt of 4-Hydroxybenzoic Acid. It conforms to the formula:

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Structure

2D structure of Hexamidine Diparaben

4-[6-(4-carbamimidoylphenoxy)hexoxy]benzenecarboximidamide;bis(4-hydroxybenzoic acid)

PubChem CID 46235485 ↗

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. 2Hexamidine Diparaben. PubChem CID 46235485. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3HEXAMIDINE DIPARABEN. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4HEXAMIDINE DIPARABEN. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=HEXAMIDINE%20DIPARABEN