How we scored it
Whole molecule (C5H6O4) from Aspergillus terreus fermentation of carbohydrate feedstock; fermentation acid analogous to citric acid. 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
Itaconic acid is produced by fermenting glucose or other carbohydrates with Aspergillus terreus, the dominant commercial route today. An older thermal route from citric acid once existed but fermentation now supplies the market.
In plain English
An acid made by fermenting plant sugars with a fungus, similar to how citric acid is made. It buffers pH and conditions skin. Produced through natural fermentation, not petrochemicals.
CosIng definition: Itaconic Acid is the organic compound that conforms to the formula
Structure
2-methylidenebutanedioic 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.
- 2Itaconic Acid. PubChem CID 811. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
- 3ITACONIC ACID. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 4ITACONIC ACID. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ITACONIC%20ACID