Database/Antimicrobial/Methenamine
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Methenamine natural?

No. Formed from formaldehyde and ammonia, both explicitly petrochemical/natural-gas feedstocks under this site's convention.

INCI nameMethenamine
CAS100-97-0
FormulaC6H12N4 · 140.19 Da
FunctionAntimicrobial · Preservative
FeedstockManufactured by reacting formaldehyde with ammonia, both derived…

How we scored it

Condensate of formaldehyde (petrochemical) and ammonia (natural-gas derived); both n=0. 0/140 = 0.0
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

Manufactured by reacting formaldehyde with ammonia, both derived from natural gas/petrochemical feedstocks. No natural-origin route exists.

In plain English

A synthetic preservative and antimicrobial that slowly releases small amounts of formaldehyde to keep products free of germs. Made entirely from petrochemical starting materials.

CosIng definition: Methenamine is the organic amine that conforms to the formula:

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Structure

2D structure of Methenamine

1,3,5,7-tetrazatricyclo[3.3.1.13,7]decane

PubChem CID 4101 ↗

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. 2Methenamine. PubChem CID 4101. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3METHENAMINE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4METHENAMINE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=METHENAMINE