Database/Antistatic/Hydroxypropyl Guar
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Hydroxypropyl Guar natural?

Mostly. Guar-bean galactomannan backbone is natural; hydroxypropyl ether groups are installed using petrochemical propylene oxide.

INCI nameHydroxypropyl Guar
CAS68442-94-4
FunctionAntistatic · Binding
FeedstockGuar gum, milled from guar bean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba)…

How we scored it

Guar hexose unit C6H10O5 162 Da (natural) + MS 0.4 x hydroxypropyl (propylene oxide) 58 Da petrochemical addition -> 162/(162+23) = 162/185 = 0.87.
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.

How it’s made

Guar alkoxide opens propylene oxide (SN2), then protonation. Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the score above.

Where it comes from

Guar gum, milled from guar bean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) endosperm, is etherified with petrochemical propylene oxide at a typical molar substitution of about 0.4, then depolymerised. No bio-based propylene oxide route is commercial.

In plain English

A thickener and conditioning agent from guar beans, chemically modified with a small synthetic group so it disperses better in water-based hair and skin products. It remains mostly plant-derived by weight.

CosIng definition: Guar gum, 2-hydroxypropyl ether, depolymd.

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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. 2HYDROXYPROPYL GUAR. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3HYDROXYPROPYL GUAR. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=HYDROXYPROPYL%20GUAR