Database/Preservative/Magnesium Salicylate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Magnesium Salicylate natural?

Mostly not. Mineral magnesium ion is natural; salicylate is explicitly a petrochemical benzene derivative.

INCI nameMagnesium Salicylate
CAS18917-89-0
FormulaC14H10MgO6 · 298.53 Da
FunctionPreservative
FeedstockMade from a magnesium source and salicylic acid,…

How we scored it

Mg2+ (mineral, natural) 24.31 Da; 2x salicylate (petrochemical, benzene derivative) 274.24 Da; 298.55 total; 24.31/298.53 = 0.08.
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

Made from a magnesium source and salicylic acid, a petrochemical benzene derivative. The magnesium counter-ion is mineral-derived.

In plain English

A magnesium salt of salicylic acid used as a preservative. The magnesium is mineral-derived; the salicylic acid portion is petrochemical.

CosIng definition: Magnesium Salicylate is the magnesium salt of Salicylic Acid that conforms to the formula:

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Structure

2D structure of Magnesium Salicylate

magnesium bis(2-carboxyphenolate)

PubChem CID 54684589 ↗

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. 2Magnesium Salicylate. PubChem CID 54684589. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3MAGNESIUM SALICYLATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4MAGNESIUM SALICYLATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=MAGNESIUM%20SALICYLATE