Database/Hair Conditioning/Minoxidil
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Minoxidil natural?

No. Wholly synthesised heterocyclic drug molecule with no natural building blocks; produced entirely from petrochemical organic-synthesis intermediates.

INCI nameMinoxidil
CAS38304-91-5
FormulaC9H15N5O · 209.25 Da
FunctionHair Conditioning · Hair Fixing
FeedstockMinoxidil is manufactured by multi-step organic synthesis from…

How we scored it

Fully synthetic piperidinylpyrimidine drug molecule built from petrochemical precursors (cyanoguanidine/malononitrile, piperidine); no natural-origin fragment exists. 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

Minoxidil is manufactured by multi-step organic synthesis from petrochemical intermediates including piperidine and cyanoguanidine derivatives. No natural-origin production route is commercially used.

In plain English

A synthetic compound built entirely from petrochemical starting materials through laboratory synthesis. Used in scalp and hair products for its conditioning and fixing properties.

CosIng definition: Minoxidil is the heterocyclic compound that conforms to the formula

Natural alternatives with the same function

Structure

2D structure of Minoxidil

3-hydroxy-2-imino-6-piperidin-1-ylpyrimidin-4-amine

PubChem CID 4201 ↗

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. 2Minoxidil. PubChem CID 4201. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3MINOXIDIL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4MINOXIDIL. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=MINOXIDIL