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

Is p-Phenylenediamine Sulfate natural?

Mostly not. Sulfate salt portion is mineral-derived; the diaminobenzene dye backbone is a wholly synthetic petrochemical aromatic.

INCI namep-Phenylenediamine Sulfate
CAS16245-77-5
FormulaC6H10N2O4S · 206.22 Da
FunctionHair Dyeing
Feedstockp-Phenylenediamine is synthesised from petrochemical aniline and nitrobenzene,…

How we scored it

H2SO4 (98.1 Da, mineral, natural) + p-phenylenediamine free base (108.1 Da, petrochemical aromatic amine) = 206.2 Da; 98.1/206.2=0.48.
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

p-Phenylenediamine is synthesised from petrochemical aniline and nitrobenzene, then salified with sulfuric acid for stability. Only the sulfate portion counts as natural, mineral-derived mass.

In plain English

A primary hair-dye ingredient that forms permanent colour inside the hair shaft when combined with developer. Its colour-building backbone is fully synthetic; only the sulfate salt part is mineral-derived.

Natural alternatives with the same function

Structure

2D structure of p-Phenylenediamine Sulfate

benzene-1,4-diamine;sulfuric acid

PubChem CID 27769 ↗

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-Phenylenediamine Sulfate. PubChem CID 27769. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3P-PHENYLENEDIAMINE SULFATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4P-PHENYLENEDIAMINE SULFATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=P-PHENYLENEDIAMINE%20SULFATE