Database/Antimicrobial/Hexylresorcinol
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Hexylresorcinol natural?

No. Resorcinol core is a synthetic phenol derivative; the short C6 hexyl chain falls below the range assumed oleochemical, so it is also treated as petrochemical.

INCI nameHexylresorcinol
CAS136-77-6
FormulaC12H18O2 · 194.27 Da
FunctionAntimicrobial
FeedstockHexylresorcinol is manufactured by Friedel-Crafts alkylation of synthetic…

How we scored it

Resorcinol (petrochemical phenol, ~109/194 Da) alkylated with a hexyl group; C6 is shorter than the C8-C22 range assumed oleochemical, so treated as petrochemical too: 0/194 = 0.0.
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

Hexylresorcinol is manufactured by Friedel-Crafts alkylation of synthetic (benzene-derived) resorcinol with a hexyl group, typically from petrochemical hexanol. No commercially significant natural route is documented.

In plain English

A lab-made ingredient with antimicrobial and skin-brightening properties, related to phenol. Both of its building blocks typically come from petroleum chemistry rather than plants.

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Structure

2D structure of Hexylresorcinol

4-hexylbenzene-1,3-diol

PubChem CID 3610 ↗

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. 2Hexylresorcinol. PubChem CID 3610. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3HEXYLRESORCINOL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4HEXYLRESORCINOL. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=HEXYLRESORCINOL