How we scored it
HOCl 52.46 Da: hydrogen and oxygen from water, chlorine from sodium chloride (mineral); no carbon; 52.46 / 52.46 = 1.00.
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
Commercially made by electrolysis of brine (sodium chloride and water), or by dissolving chlorine, itself made from brine, in water. No carbon-based or petrochemical route is involved.
In plain English
A weak inorganic acid that forms when chlorine dissolves in water. In cosmetics it acts as an antimicrobial, deodorant and oil-reducing ingredient in sprays and cleansers. It is produced from salt and water by electrolysis.
CosIng definition: Hypochlorous Acid is the inorganic compound that conforms to the formula
Structure
hypochlorous acid
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.
- 2Hypochlorous Acid. PubChem CID 24341. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
- 3HYPOCHLOROUS ACID. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 4HYPOCHLOROUS ACID. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=HYPOCHLOROUS%20ACID