Lysine has a Natural Origin Index (NOI) of 1.00 (scale 0–1) per ISO 16128. One of the largest fermentation-derived amino acids globally, made from corn or other plant sugars. An NOI of 1.00 means 100% of its molecular mass is traceable to a natural, renewable source.

Is Lysine natural? NOI 1.00 — Is That Natural?

How we scored it

Standard amino acid; classic large-scale fermentation product of plant sugars → 100% natural

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

Produced by fermenting glucose from corn or other starches using Corynebacterium glutamicum, one of the largest amino-acid fermentation industries.

In plain English

An amino acid used for hair and skin conditioning. Produced by fermenting corn sugar with bacteria, one of the largest amino-acid fermentation industries in the world.

Structure

(2S)-2,6-diaminohexanoic acid

PubChem CID 5962 ↗

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.
2Lysine. PubChem CID 5962. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
3LYSINE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
4LYSINE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=LYSINE