Database/Fragrance/Menthyl Salicylate
Route-dependent · ISO 16128

Is Menthyl Salicylate natural?

It depends. Salicylic acid is always petrochemical; menthol is natural when from cornmint oil, the larger global supply, or synthetic when lab-made.

INCI nameMenthyl Salicylate
CAS89-46-3
FormulaC17H24O3 · 276.4 Da
FunctionFragrance · Uv Absorber
FeedstockMenthol is dominantly sourced from cornmint (Mentha arvensis)…

Why the score varies

This ingredient is made commercially by more than one route, and ISO 16128 scores the feedstock actually used. Without a supplier certificate of origin the value cannot be claimed.

RouteFeedstockNOIShareNotes
natural mentholcornmint oil menthol + synthetic salicylic acid0.56~70%
synthetic mentholpetrochemical menthol + synthetic salicylic acid0.00~30%
Ask your supplier. A batch-specific certificate of origin or bio-based carbon test (ASTM D6866) settles which route applies.

How we scored it

Ester of menthol (139.3 Da menthyl fragment) + salicylic acid (137.1 Da salicyloyl fragment, always petrochemical), MW276.4. Natural-menthol route: 139.3/276.4=0.56; synthetic-menthol route: 0.0. Headline shows the best route (0.56), as for every route-dependent entry on the site.
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

Menthol is dominantly sourced from cornmint (Mentha arvensis) oil, mainly from India, then esterified with synthetic salicylic acid. A smaller share uses fully synthetic menthol.

In plain English

A fragrance and UV-filtering ingredient made by combining menthol, often extracted from mint oil, with salicylic acid, which is made synthetically.

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Structure

2D structure of Menthyl Salicylate

[(1R,2S,5R)-5-methyl-2-propan-2-ylcyclohexyl] 2-hydroxybenzoate

PubChem CID 20055232 ↗

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. 2Menthyl Salicylate. PubChem CID 20055232. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3MENTHYL SALICYLATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4MENTHYL SALICYLATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=MENTHYL%20SALICYLATE