Database/Plasticiser/Neopentyl Glycol
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Neopentyl Glycol natural?

No. Manufactured entirely from petrochemical isobutyraldehyde and formaldehyde; no natural-origin building block is involved.

INCI nameNeopentyl Glycol
CAS126-30-7
FormulaC5H12O2 · 104.15 Da
FunctionPlasticiser · Solvent
FeedstockNeopentyl glycol is produced industrially from petrochemical isobutyraldehyde…

How we scored it

Isobutyraldehyde + formaldehyde (both petrochemical) -> neopentyl glycol via aldol condensation and hydrogenation -> 0/104.15 = 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

Neopentyl glycol is produced industrially from petrochemical isobutyraldehyde and formaldehyde. No natural-origin production route is used commercially.

In plain English

A synthetic diol made from petrochemical isobutyraldehyde and formaldehyde. Used as a solvent and plasticiser, helping keep nail polish and other film-forming products flexible and evenly spread.

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Structure

2D structure of Neopentyl Glycol

2,2-dimethylpropane-1,3-diol

PubChem CID 31344 ↗

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. 2Neopentyl Glycol. PubChem CID 31344. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3NEOPENTYL GLYCOL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4NEOPENTYL GLYCOL. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=NEOPENTYL%20GLYCOL