Database/Depilatory/Magnesium Thioglycolate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Magnesium Thioglycolate natural?

Mostly not. The organic thioglycolate backbone is synthesised from petrochemical chloroacetic acid; only the magnesium counter-ion is natural mineral mass.

INCI nameMagnesium Thioglycolate
CAS63592-16-5
FormulaC4H6MgO4S2 · 206.5 Da
FunctionDepilatory · Hair Waving Or Straightening
FeedstockMagnesium thioglycolate is the magnesium salt of thioglycolic…

How we scored it

Mg(SCH2COO)2, 206.5 Da: thioglycolate (from chloroacetic acid, n=0) =182.2 Da; Mg counter-ion (mineral, n=1)=24.3 Da. 24.3/206.5=0.12.
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

Magnesium thioglycolate is the magnesium salt of thioglycolic acid, which is manufactured from petrochemical chloroacetic acid and sodium hydrosulfide. The magnesium counter-ion comes from a natural mineral source, but it is a small fraction of the molecule's mass.

In plain English

A reducing agent used in depilatory and hair-waving products. It pairs a synthetic thioglycolic acid (from petrochemical chloroacetic acid) with a natural magnesium mineral counter-ion.

Natural alternatives with the same function

Barium Sulfide 100% natural origin

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 Potassium Sulfide 100% natural origin

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 Sodium Sulfide 100% natural origin

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 Strontium Sulfide 100% natural origin

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Structure

2D structure of Magnesium Thioglycolate

magnesium bis(2-sulfanylacetate)

PubChem CID 22027387 ↗

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 Thioglycolate. PubChem CID 22027387. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3MAGNESIUM THIOGLYCOLATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4MAGNESIUM THIOGLYCOLATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=MAGNESIUM%20THIOGLYCOLATE