Database/Perfuming/Isoamyl Salicylate
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Isoamyl Salicylate natural?

No. Both fragments are petrochemical: salicylic acid from phenol, isoamyl alcohol predominantly from petrochemical pentenes.

INCI nameIsoamyl Salicylate
CAS87-20-7
FormulaC12H16O3 · 208.25 Da
FunctionPerfuming
FeedstockIsoamyl Salicylate is manufactured by esterifying salicylic acid…

How we scored it

Salicylic acid C7H6O3 (138.1, petrochemical phenol derivative) + isoamyl alcohol C5H12O (88.2, predominantly petrochemical) - H2O (18.0) = 208.25; both fragments petrochemical => 0.0
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 Salicylate is manufactured by esterifying salicylic acid (made from phenol via Kolbe-Schmitt synthesis) with isoamyl alcohol. Isoamyl alcohol is mostly petrochemically produced, though a minor fusel-oil fermentation by-product route exists.

In plain English

A fragrance ingredient with a sweet, floral scent used as a perfume component in cosmetics. It's made by combining salicylic acid with isoamyl alcohol, both produced through industrial chemistry.

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Structure

2D structure of Isoamyl Salicylate

3-methylbutyl 2-hydroxybenzoate

PubChem CID 6874 ↗

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 Salicylate. PubChem CID 6874. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3ISOAMYL SALICYLATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4ISOAMYL SALICYLATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ISOAMYL%20SALICYLATE