Database/Deodorant/Methylheptylglycerin
Route-dependent · ISO 16128

Is Methylheptylglycerin natural?

It depends. The glyceryl group is vegetable-oil glycerin (natural by this site's convention); the 2-octyl group is natural if made from castor ricinoleic acid and petrochemical if made from octene.

INCI nameMethylheptylglycerin
CAS182015-50-5
FormulaC11H24O3 · 204.31 Da
FunctionDeodorant · Humectant
FeedstockAssumed dominant route: 2-octanol from alkali cleavage of…

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
Castor-oil 2-octanolCastor oil (ricinoleic acid cleavage) plus glycerin1.00~65%
Synthetic 2-octanolPetrochemical octene hydration plus glycerin0.45~35%
Ask your supplier. A batch-specific certificate of origin or bio-based carbon test (ASTM D6866) settles which route applies.

How we scored it

C11H24O3 204.31: glyceryl C3H7O3 91.08 natural; octyl C8H17 113.23 natural if castor 2-octanol (1.0) or petrochemical if synthetic (91.08 / 204.31 = 0.45).
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

Assumed dominant route: 2-octanol from alkali cleavage of castor-oil ricinoleic acid, etherified with glycerin, giving 1.0. Synthetic 2-octanol from octene gives 0.45, and the supply split for this cosmetic grade is not documented.

In plain English

A glycerin-based ether used to hold moisture in skin, soften it and help control odour in deodorant products. It joins glycerin to an eight-carbon alcohol, 2-octanol, which comes either from castor oil or from petrochemicals.

CosIng definition: Methylheptylglycerin is the organic compound that conforms to the formula:

Natural alternatives with the same function

Aluminum Bromohydrate 100% natural origin

An antiperspirant and astringent mineral salt of aluminum and bromine, chemically similar to the more common aluminum chlorohydrate.…

 Aluminum Calcium Copper Sodium Borosilicate 100% natural origin

A fine glass powder containing copper, used as a deodorant ingredient in some products. It is made by…

 Aluminum Chloride 100% natural origin

A mineral salt used in antiperspirants and deodorants to reduce sweat and odor, and as an astringent. It's…

 Aluminum Chlorohydrate 100% natural origin

A mineral aluminium salt used in antiperspirants to reduce underarm wetness by temporarily blocking sweat ducts; refined from…

 Aluminum Dichlorohydrate 100% natural origin

The active ingredient in many antiperspirants, reducing underarm wetness. It's a simple mineral salt of aluminum, chloride and…

 Aluminum Lactate 100% natural origin

Aluminum lactate is a mineral salt of lactic acid, used in deodorants for its astringent, sweat-reducing properties and…

Structure

2D structure of Methylheptylglycerin

3-octan-2-yloxypropane-1,2-diol

PubChem CID 23037137 ↗

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. 2Methylheptylglycerin. PubChem CID 23037137. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3METHYLHEPTYLGLYCERIN. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4METHYLHEPTYLGLYCERIN. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=METHYLHEPTYLGLYCERIN