How we scored it
Isostearyl alcohol C18H38O (270.5 Da, oleochemical) + lactic acid C3H6O3 (90.1 Da, fermentation) − H2O = 342.6 Da; both fragments natural → 342.6/342.6 = 1.0
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
Isostearyl lactate is made by esterifying isostearyl alcohol, an oleochemical C18 branched fatty alcohol from vegetable oil sources, with lactic acid produced by fermentation of sugars. No petrochemical alternative route is used for either component in cosmetic-grade material.
In plain English
A skin-softening emollient made by combining a fatty alcohol from vegetable oils with lactic acid from fermentation.
Structure
16-methylheptadecyl 2-hydroxypropanoate
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.
- 2Isostearyl Lactate. PubChem CID 6451828. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
- 3ISOSTEARYL LACTATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 4ISOSTEARYL LACTATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ISOSTEARYL%20LACTATE