Database/Skin Conditioning/Octyldodecyl Isostearate
Route-dependent · ISO 16128

Is Octyldodecyl Isostearate natural?

It depends. The value depends on whether the octyldodecanol was built from natural or petrochemical fatty alcohol; the isostearic acid half is natural oleochemical.

INCI nameOctyldodecyl Isostearate
CAS93803-87-3
FormulaC38H76O2 · 565.0 Da
FunctionSkin Conditioning
Feedstockoctyldodecanol (Guerbet alcohol, natural or petrochemical) esterified with…

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
octyldodecanol from natural fatty alcoholoctyldodecanol made by Guerbet dimerisation of coconut/palm-kernel-derived fatty alcohol, esterified with isostearic acid1.00common for cosmetic gradesEvery atom of the ester is natural origin
octyldodecanol from petrochemical fatty alcoholoctyldodecanol made from Ziegler/oxo (ethylene-derived) fatty alcohol, esterified with isostearic acid0.47also commercialOnly the isostearic acid fragment (267.5 Da of 565.0 Da) is natural origin
Ask your supplier. A batch-specific certificate of origin or bio-based carbon test (ASTM D6866) settles which route applies.

How we scored it

Guerbet alcohols are route-dependent by site policy (see Octyldodecanol). Ester 565.0 Da = octyldodecanol fragment 297.5 Da + isostearic acid acyl 267.5 Da. Natural-alcohol route: 1.0; petrochemical-alcohol route: 0.47.
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

octyldodecanol (Guerbet alcohol, natural or petrochemical) esterified with isostearic acid.

In plain English

An ester of a branched fatty alcohol and isostearic acid, both from vegetable-oil fatty acids. Used as a skin-conditioning emollient.

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Structure

2D structure of Octyldodecyl Isostearate

2-octyldodecyl 16-methylheptadecanoate

PubChem CID 44147658 ↗

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. 2Octyldodecyl Isostearate. PubChem CID 44147658. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3OCTYLDODECYL ISOSTEARATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4OCTYLDODECYL ISOSTEARATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=OCTYLDODECYL%20ISOSTEARATE