Database/Humectant/Pantolactone
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Pantolactone natural?

No. The carbon skeleton comes from petrochemical isobutyraldehyde, formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide; resolving the D-enantiomer from the racemate adds no natural-origin mass.

INCI namePantolactone
CAS599-04-2
FormulaC6H10O3 · 130.14 Da
FunctionHumectant · Skin Conditioning
FeedstockDominant route condenses isobutyraldehyde with formaldehyde, adds HCN…

How we scored it

C6H10O3 (130.14 Da) from isobutyraldehyde, formaldehyde and HCN, all petrochemical; resolution adds no mass. Natural mass 0, so 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

Dominant route condenses isobutyraldehyde with formaldehyde, adds HCN and lactonises, then resolves the D-isomer chemically or enzymatically. No natural-origin route is commercial.

In plain English

A small lactone that is a building block of provitamin B5 (panthenol), used to attract water and condition skin. It is made synthetically from petrochemical raw materials.

CosIng definition: Pantolactone is the organic compound that conforms to the formula: (structure)

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Structure

2D structure of Pantolactone

(3R)-3-hydroxy-4,4-dimethyloxolan-2-one

PubChem CID 439368 ↗

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. 2Pantolactone. PubChem CID 439368. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3PANTOLACTONE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4PANTOLACTONE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PANTOLACTONE