Database/Flavouring/Neotame
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Neotame natural?

Mostly. Aspartic acid and phenylalanine come from fermentation or enzymatic processes, while the dimethylbutyl group (petrochemical aldehyde) and the methyl ester (methanol) are petrochemical.

INCI nameNeotame
CAS165450-17-9
FormulaC20H30N2O5 · 378.5 Da
FunctionFlavouring
FeedstockAspartame (aspartic acid plus phenylalanine methyl ester) is…

How we scored it

C20H30N2O5, 378.5 Da: dimethylbutyl C6H13 85.2 plus methoxy OCH3 31.0 are petrochemical (116.2); aspartyl-phenylalanine backbone 262.3 natural. 262.3 / 378.5 = 0.69.
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

Aspartame (aspartic acid plus phenylalanine methyl ester) is reductively alkylated with petrochemical 3,3-dimethylbutyraldehyde. No fully natural route is commercial.

In plain English

An intensely sweet flavouring used in tiny amounts to improve the taste of lip products and oral-care items. It is a modified form of aspartame: two amino acids (aspartic acid and phenylalanine) carrying a synthetic side group and a methyl ester.

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

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Structure

2D structure of Neotame

(3S)-3-(3,3-dimethylbutylamino)-4-[[(2S)-1-methoxy-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-yl]amino]-4-oxobutanoic acid

PubChem CID 9810996 ↗

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. 2Neotame. PubChem CID 9810996. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3NEOTAME. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4NEOTAME. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=NEOTAME