Database/Antistatic/Lauryl Hydroxysultaine
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Lauryl Hydroxysultaine natural?

Mostly not. Coconut-derived lauryl chain is natural; the dimethylamino and hydroxypropyl sulfonate head group are built from petrochemical reagents.

INCI nameLauryl Hydroxysultaine
CAS13197-76-7
FormulaC17H37NO4S · 351.5 Da
FunctionAntistatic · Cleansing
FeedstockLauryl Hydroxysultaine is made from a coconut-derived lauryl…

How we scored it

Dodecyl chain (coconut, natural) C12H25 169.3 Da vs N(CH3)2 + hydroxypropyl sulfonate (petrochemical, methylation + epichlorohydrin/bisulfite chemistry) 182.2 Da → 169.3/351.5 = 0.48
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

Lauryl Hydroxysultaine is made from a coconut-derived lauryl fatty amine, quaternized with a petrochemical hydroxypropyl sulfonate group from epichlorohydrin chemistry, and methylated using petrochemical methylating agents. Slightly under half the molecule's mass is natural.

In plain English

A mild, foam-boosting cleansing ingredient used in shampoos and washes. It combines a coconut-derived fatty chain with a synthetic head group made from petrochemical building blocks.

Natural alternatives with the same function

Structure

2D structure of Lauryl Hydroxysultaine

3-[dodecyl(dimethyl)azaniumyl]-2-hydroxypropane-1-sulfonate

PubChem CID 114474 ↗

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. 2Lauryl Hydroxysultaine. PubChem CID 114474. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3LAURYL HYDROXYSULTAINE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4LAURYL HYDROXYSULTAINE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=LAURYL%20HYDROXYSULTAINE