Database/Skin Conditioning/Methylcobalamin
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Methylcobalamin natural?

Mostly. Vitamin B12 core is produced by bacterial fermentation; only the small methyl ligand attached afterward is chemically introduced.

INCI nameMethylcobalamin
CAS13422-55-4
FormulaC63H91CoN13O14P · 1344.4 Da
FunctionSkin Conditioning
FeedstockThe cobalamin (vitamin B12) core is produced by…

How we scored it

Cobalamin core (fermentation-derived corrin ring + Co + nucleotide, ~1329.4 Da) = natural; methyl cap (~15 Da, added by chemical methylation) = petrochemical → 1329.4/1344.4 = 0.99.
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

The cobalamin (vitamin B12) core is produced by industrial fermentation (e.g. Pseudomonas denitrificans); the methyl group is then attached chemically. No commercial total-synthesis route exists.

In plain English

An active form of vitamin B12 used for skin conditioning. The core vitamin is made by bacterial fermentation, with a small methyl group added in a final manufacturing step.

CosIng definition: Methylcobalamin is the organic compound that conforms to the formula.

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Structure

2D structure of Methylcobalamin

carbanide;cobalt(3+);[(2R,3S,4R,5S)-5-(5,6-dimethylbenzimidazol-1-yl)-4-hydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)oxolan-3-yl] 1-[3-[(1R,2R,3R,5Z,7S,10Z,12S,13S,15Z,17S,18S,19R)-2,13,18-tris(2-amino-2-oxoethyl)-7,12,17-tris(3-amino-3-oxopropyl)-3,5,8,8,13,15,18,19-octamethyl-2,7,12,17-tetrahydro-1H-corrin-24-id-3-yl]propanoylamino]propan-2-yl phosphate

PubChem CID 10898559 ↗

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. 2Methylcobalamin. PubChem CID 10898559. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3METHYLCOBALAMIN. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4METHYLCOBALAMIN. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=METHYLCOBALAMIN