Database/Oral Care/Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose Phthalate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose Phthalate natural?

Mostly. Cellulose ether-ester: a natural cellulose backbone carrying petrochemical methyl, hydroxypropyl and phthalyl groups. The grade's substitution levels set the split; the enteric HP-55 grade used here lands just above half natural. Same method as Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose and Cellulose Acetate Butyrate.

INCI nameHydroxypropyl Methylcellulose Phthalate
CAS9050-31-1
FunctionOral Care
FeedstockWood-pulp cellulose etherified with methyl chloride and propylene…

How we scored it

Per 100 g of a typical HP-55 grade (methoxy 20 wt%, hydroxypropoxy 7 wt%, carboxybenzoyl 31 wt%): petrochemical mass = methyl 0.1 g (methyl chloride) + hydroxypropyl 0.1 g (propylene oxide) + phthalyl 0.3 g (phthalic anhydride) = 46.1 g; the remaining 53.9 g is wood-pulp cellulose backbone and its oxygens → 0.54. The supplied PubChem formula belonged to an unrelated compound and was ignored.
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

Wood-pulp cellulose etherified with methyl chloride and propylene oxide, then esterified with phthalic anhydride.

In plain English

A film-coating polymer made from plant cellulose modified with methyl, hydroxypropyl and phthalate groups. Part plant-derived, part synthetic; used to coat tablets and some cosmetic films.

CosIng definition: Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose Phthalate is the reaction product of Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose and phthallic anhydride

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