Database/Hair Dyeing/p-Aminophenol Sulfate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is p-Aminophenol Sulfate natural?

Mostly not. 4-Aminophenol is a synthetic phenol/aniline derivative from petrochemical benzene; only the sulfate counter-ion counts as mineral natural origin.

INCI namep-Aminophenol Sulfate
CAS63084-98-0
FormulaC12H16N2O6S · 316.33 Da
FunctionHair Dyeing
FeedstockManufactured by reducing nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol, then forming…

How we scored it

Salt of 2x 4-aminophenol (petrochemical phenol derivative, 218 Da) + sulfate (96 Da, natural mineral fragment). 96/316.3 = 0.30.
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 by reducing nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol, then forming the sulfate salt used as a hair-dye intermediate. There is no natural-origin route to this synthetic compound.

In plain English

A hair-dye ingredient that combines with other dye components to develop colour in hair. It is a synthetic phenol-derived compound, used and stabilised as its sulfate salt.

Natural alternatives with the same function

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 Epicatechin 100% natural origin

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 Lawsonia Inermis Extract 100% natural origin

A plant extract from the henna shrub, used to condition hair and skin and add a reddish tint.…

 Pyrogallol 100% natural origin

A hair-dye ingredient traditionally made by heating gallic acid, itself extracted from plant tannins in gallnuts, until it…

Structure

2D structure of p-Aminophenol Sulfate

bis(4-aminophenol);sulfuric acid

PubChem CID 45158326 ↗

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. 2p-Aminophenol Sulfate. PubChem CID 45158326. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3P-AMINOPHENOL SULFATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4P-AMINOPHENOL SULFATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=P-AMINOPHENOL%20SULFATE