Database/Antistatic/Lauryl Sultaine
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Lauryl Sultaine natural?

Mostly. Lauryl chain from coconut or palm kernel oil is natural and the sulfonate (SO3) is mineral; the dimethylamino group and propyl bridge (propane sultone from allyl alcohol) are petrochemical.

INCI nameLauryl Sultaine
CAS14933-08-5
FormulaC17H37NO3S · 335.5 Da
FunctionAntistatic · Cleansing
FeedstockLauryl dimethylamine from coconut or palm kernel lauryl…

How we scored it

Lauryl C12H25 169.3 + sulfonate SO3 80.1 = 249.4 natural; N(CH3)2 44.1 + C3H6 42.1 = 86.2 petrochemical; 249.4 / 335.5 = 0.74.
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 dimethylamine from coconut or palm kernel lauryl alcohol is reacted with 1,3-propane sultone, which is made from petrochemical allyl alcohol and bisulfite. Ziegler lauryl alcohol is a possible petrochemical alternative (supplier note).

In plain English

A zwitterionic surfactant that foams and conditions in shampoos and washes. The lauryl chain comes from coconut or palm kernel oil; the propane sulfonate head is built from petrochemical propane sultone.

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Structure

2D structure of Lauryl Sultaine

3-[dodecyl(dimethyl)azaniumyl]propane-1-sulfonate

PubChem CID 84703 ↗

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 Sultaine. PubChem CID 84703. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3LAURYL SULTAINE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4LAURYL SULTAINE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=LAURYL%20SULTAINE