Database/Fragrance/Isoamyl Allylglycolate
Route-dependent · ISO 16128

Is Isoamyl Allylglycolate natural?

It depends. The isoamyl ether group is natural when taken from fusel oil, but chloroacetic acid and allyl alcohol are petrochemical, and synthetic isoamyl alcohol makes the whole molecule petrochemical.

INCI nameIsoamyl Allylglycolate
CAS67634-00-8
FormulaC10H18O3 · 186.25 Da
FunctionFragrance · Perfuming
FeedstockIsoamyl alcohol is etherified with chloroacetic acid and…

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
Fusel-oil isoamyl alcoholfermentation by-product isoamyl alcohol, plus petrochemical chloroacetic acid and allyl alcohol0.47~50% (uncertain)
Synthetic oxo isoamyl alcoholpetrochemical isobutene/syngas, chloroacetic acid and allyl alcohol0.00~50% (uncertain)
Ask your supplier. A batch-specific certificate of origin or bio-based carbon test (ASTM D6866) settles which route applies.

How we scored it

Isoamyloxy C5H11O 87.1 natural if from fusel oil: 87.1 / 186.3 = 0.47; glycolate C2H2O2 58.0 (chloroacetate) and allyl C3H5 41.1 (allyl alcohol) petrochemical. Synthetic isoamyl alcohol: 0.
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

Isoamyl alcohol is etherified with chloroacetic acid and the acid esterified with petrochemical allyl alcohol; the isoamyl alcohol comes either from fusel oil (a fermentation by-product) or from oxo synthesis. The dominant route in fragrance supply cannot be confirmed.

In plain English

A fragrance ingredient with a fresh, green, fruity scent. It is built from an isoamyl alcohol, which may come from fermentation by-products or petrochemicals, plus petrochemical allyl alcohol and chloroacetic acid.

Natural alternatives with the same function

Structure

2D structure of Isoamyl Allylglycolate

prop-2-enyl 2-(3-methylbutoxy)acetate

PubChem CID 106729 ↗

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. 2Isoamyl Allylglycolate. PubChem CID 106729. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3ISOAMYL ALLYLGLYCOLATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4ISOAMYL ALLYLGLYCOLATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ISOAMYL%20ALLYLGLYCOLATE