Database/Chelating/Oxalic Acid
Route-dependent · ISO 16128

Is Oxalic Acid natural?

It depends. Dominant route uncertain: starch/glucose oxidation gives natural carbon; ethylene-glycol or sodium-formate synthesis is petrochemical.

INCI nameOxalic Acid
CAS144-62-7
FormulaC2H2O4 · 90.03 Da
FunctionChelating
FeedstockManufactured either by nitric-acid oxidation of starch or…

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
carbohydrate oxidationcorn starch/glucose, nitric-acid oxidation1.00unknown
petrochemical oxidationethylene glycol or syngas-derived sodium formate0.00unknown
Ask your supplier. A batch-specific certificate of origin or bio-based carbon test (ASTM D6866) settles which route applies.

How we scored it

Whole molecule C2H2O4 (90.03 Da); natural route = carbohydrate/starch oxidation (1.0), synthetic route = ethylene-glycol or syngas-based oxidation (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

Manufactured either by nitric-acid oxidation of starch or glucose (natural carbohydrate feedstock) or by oxidation of petrochemical ethylene glycol or syngas-derived sodium formate. Both routes are used industrially and the cosmetic-grade split is not reliably known.

In plain English

A simple acid used to bind trace metals in formulas. It can be made either from plant starch or from petroleum-based chemicals, so its natural content depends on which factory supplied it.

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Structure

2D structure of Oxalic Acid

oxalic acid

PubChem CID 971 ↗

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. 2Oxalic Acid. PubChem CID 971. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3OXALIC ACID. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4OXALIC ACID. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=OXALIC%20ACID