Database/Plasticiser/Isopropyl Citrate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Isopropyl Citrate natural?

Mostly. Citric acid from fermentation is the dominant mass; the isopropanol cap is petrochemical, analogous to Isopropyl Myristate's fatty-acid/isopropanol split.

INCI nameIsopropyl Citrate
CAS1321-57-9
FormulaC10H18O7 · 250.25 Da
FunctionPlasticiser · Solvent
FeedstockCitric acid is produced by mould (Aspergillus niger)…

How we scored it

Citric acid core (fermentation-derived, ~190Da natural) esterified with isopropanol (petrochemical, ~60Da of the 250.25Da total) -> ~190/250.25~0.76.
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

Citric acid is produced by mould (Aspergillus niger) fermentation of sugars, then esterified with petrochemical isopropanol. The supplied IUPAC name/formula for this CAS looked internally inconsistent with a simple citrate ester, so standard INCI chemistry was used instead.

In plain English

A chelating and antioxidant-boosting ingredient made by combining fermentation-derived citric acid with a synthetic alcohol (isopropanol). Helps stabilise formulations by binding trace metals.

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Structure

2D structure of Isopropyl Citrate

2-hydroxy-2-(2-oxopropyl)butanedioic acid;propan-2-ol

PubChem CID 61986 ↗

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. 2Isopropyl Citrate. PubChem CID 61986. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3ISOPROPYL CITRATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4ISOPROPYL CITRATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ISOPROPYL%20CITRATE