How we scored it
Lactobionic acid = oxidized lactose; the glucose unit becomes gluconic acid and the galactose unit is unchanged, so all carbons trace to milk-sugar lactose.
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
Lactobionic acid is produced by fermentation or enzymatic/catalytic oxidation of lactose, the natural sugar found in milk. No petrochemical building blocks are incorporated into the final molecule.
In plain English
A gentle acid used to condition skin and adjust product pH. It's made by oxidizing lactose, the natural sugar found in milk, so it comes entirely from a dairy-derived feedstock.
Structure
(2R,3R,4R,5R)-2,3,5,6-tetrahydroxy-4-[(2S,3R,4S,5R,6R)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxan-2-yl]oxyhexanoic 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.
- 2Lactobionic Acid. PubChem CID 7314. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
- 3LACTOBIONIC ACID. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 4LACTOBIONIC ACID. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=LACTOBIONIC%20ACID