How we scored it
Stearic acid (C18, oleochemical) + Mg (mineral counter-ion) — both fragments natural; all-natural salt = 1.0.
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 stearic acid derived from vegetable oils (e.g. palm or coconut) or animal tallow, combined with mineral magnesium. No petrochemical route is commercially significant.
In plain English
A magnesium salt of stearic acid, a fatty acid from vegetable or animal fat. Used as an anti-caking and bulking agent, especially in powder cosmetics like eyeshadow and foundation, helping ingredients flow smoothly.
CosIng definition: Magnesium Stearate is the magnesium salt of stearic acid. It conforms generally to the formula:
Structure
magnesium bis(octadecanoate)
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.
- 2Magnesium Stearate. PubChem CID 11177. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
- 3MAGNESIUM STEARATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 4MAGNESIUM STEARATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=MAGNESIUM%20STEARATE