Database/Binding/Isopropyl Stearate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Isopropyl Stearate natural?

Mostly. Stearic acid is oleochemical while isopropanol is a petrochemical solvent alcohol.

INCI nameIsopropyl Stearate
CAS112-10-7
FormulaC21H42O2 · 326.6 Da
FunctionBinding · Emollient
FeedstockIsopropyl Stearate is the ester of oleochemical stearic…

How we scored it

Stearic acid C18H36O2 284 Da (natural) + isopropanol C3H8O 60 Da (petrochemical) - H2O = 267/327 = 0.82.
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

Isopropyl Stearate is the ester of oleochemical stearic acid (vegetable oil or tallow) with petrochemical isopropanol. No natural route exists for isopropanol at commercial scale.

In plain English

An emollient that smooths skin and binds pigments in makeup. It combines a common vegetable-oil fatty acid with isopropanol, a petrochemical solvent alcohol.

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Structure

2D structure of Isopropyl Stearate

propan-2-yl octadecanoate

PubChem CID 8162 ↗

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 Stearate. PubChem CID 8162. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3ISOPROPYL STEARATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4ISOPROPYL STEARATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ISOPROPYL%20STEARATE