Database/Skin Protecting/Hordenine
Route-dependent · ISO 16128

Is Hordenine natural?

It depends. Known both as a barley-germ extract component and as a lab synthesis product from phenol; cosmetic-grade dominant route unclear.

INCI nameHordenine
CAS539-15-1
FormulaC10H15NO · 165.23 Da
FunctionSkin Protecting
FeedstockCan be extracted from germinating barley (malt) as…

Why the score varies

This ingredient is made commercially by more than one route, and ISO 16128 scores the feedstock actually used. Without a supplier certificate of origin the value cannot be claimed.

RouteFeedstockNOIShareNotes
barley malt extractiongerminating Hordeum vulgare (barley)1.00unconfirmed
chemical synthesispetrochemical phenol + dimethylamine0.00unconfirmed
Ask your supplier. A batch-specific certificate of origin or bio-based carbon test (ASTM D6866) settles which route applies.

How we scored it

C10H15NO phenethylamine; whole-molecule route choice. Barley extraction keeps atoms plant-derived; Mannich-type synthesis from phenol makes atoms petrochemical. Headline shows the best route (1.00), as for every route-dependent entry on the site.
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

Can be extracted from germinating barley (malt) as a brewing by-product, or synthesised from petrochemical phenol via a Mannich-type reaction with dimethylamine. Dominant route for cosmetic grade could not be confirmed.

In plain English

A compound found in germinating barley, used here to help protect skin. It can be extracted from barley malt or made synthetically from petrochemical materials; the source could not be confirmed.

CosIng definition: Hordenine is the organic compound

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Structure

2D structure of Hordenine

4-[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]phenol

PubChem CID 68313 ↗

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. 2Hordenine. PubChem CID 68313. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3HORDENINE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4HORDENINE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=HORDENINE