Is Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hydrolyzed Rice Protein natural? NOI 0.86

Q: Is Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hydrolyzed Rice Protein natural?

Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hydrolyzed Rice Protein has a Natural Origin Index (NOI) of 0.86 (scale 0–1) per ISO 16128. The rice protein hydrolysate backbone is natural and the chloride is a mineral counter-ion. Only the small cationic group built from epichlorohydrin and trimethylamine is petroc… An NOI of 0.86 means 86% of its molecular mass is traceable to a natural, renewable source.

How we scored it

Assuming a 770 Da rice peptide with one quaternary site: natural origin is the peptide (770 Da) plus the chloride counter-ion (35 Da) = 805 Da, and petrochemical is the hydroxypropyl plus trimethylammonium part of the modifier (133 Da). Total 938 Da, so 805/938 = 0.86.

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

Hydrolysed rice protein is reacted with glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride, a petrochemical quaternising reagent. The substitution level is not published, so roughly one cationic group per eight amino-acid residues was assumed.

In plain English

A hair-conditioning ingredient made by attaching a small, lab-made, positively-charged group onto natural rice protein. Used in shampoos and conditioners to reduce static and improve manageability.

CosIng definition: Proteins, rice (Oryza sativa), hydrolyzed, N-(3-trimethylammonio-2-hydroxypropyl)-, chlorides

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References

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