Database/Fragrance/Musk Xylene
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Musk Xylene natural?

No. Every carbon traces to petrochemical xylene feedstock via Friedel-Crafts alkylation and nitration; no natural or mineral fragment is present.

INCI nameMusk Xylene
CAS81-15-2
FormulaC12H15N3O6 · 297.26 Da
FunctionFragrance · Perfuming
FeedstockMade by tert-butylating and methylating xylene (a petrochemical…

How we scored it

1-tert-butyl-3,5-dimethyl-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene: benzene ring alkylated and nitrated entirely via petrochemical aromatic chemistry; no natural building block. 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

Made by tert-butylating and methylating xylene (a petrochemical aromatic feedstock), then nitrating with mixed acid. There is no natural or alternative production route for this synthetic nitro-musk.

In plain English

A synthetic musk fragrance ingredient made entirely from petrochemical building blocks in a lab. Provides a musky scent and does not occur in nature.

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Structure

2D structure of Musk Xylene

1-tert-butyl-3,5-dimethyl-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene

PubChem CID 62329 ↗

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. 2Musk Xylene. PubChem CID 62329. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3MUSK XYLENE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4MUSK XYLENE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=MUSK%20XYLENE