How we scored it
Branched C18 fatty acid made by isomerising natural oleic acid; all carbon remains oleic-acid derived → 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
Made by isomerising oleic acid from vegetable oils, such as tall oil, soybean or coconut, into a branched-chain acid. No petrochemical route is used commercially.
In plain English
A branched fatty acid derived from vegetable oil, used to soften skin and stabilise formulas. It is made by rearranging natural oleic acid, so it stays fully plant-derived.
Structure
16-methylheptadecanoic 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.
- 2Isostearic Acid. PubChem CID 21859. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
- 3ISOSTEARIC ACID. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 4ISOSTEARIC ACID. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ISOSTEARIC%20ACID