Database/Antimicrobial/P-Cresol
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is P-Cresol natural?

No. Virtually all cosmetic/fragrance-grade p-cresol comes from petroleum cresylic-acid streams or toluene chemistry; the natural route is negligible, like niacinamide.

INCI nameP-Cresol
CAS106-44-5
FormulaC7H8O · 108.14 Da
FunctionAntimicrobial · Perfuming
FeedstockProduced from petrochemical cresylic acid, a petroleum/coal-tar refining…

How we scored it

Commercial p-cresol is petrochemical (cresylic acid/toluene-derived); trace natural essential-oil occurrence is not a commercial sourcing route.
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

Produced from petrochemical cresylic acid, a petroleum/coal-tar refining stream, or by toluene-based synthesis. It occurs in trace amounts in some natural essential oils, but this is not a commercially significant sourcing route.

In plain English

A preservative and fragrance ingredient made from petroleum-derived chemicals. It occurs in trace amounts in nature but is produced industrially for cosmetic use.

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Structure

2D structure of P-Cresol

4-methylphenol

PubChem CID 2879 ↗

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-Cresol. PubChem CID 2879. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3P-CRESOL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4P-CRESOL. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=P-CRESOL