Database/Antistatic/Pantothenic Acid
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Pantothenic Acid natural?

No. Pantoic acid moiety comes from petrochemical isobutyraldehyde via pantolactone; beta-alanine is petrochemical-route; commercial fermentation route is negligible.

INCI namePantothenic Acid
CAS79-83-4
FormulaC9H17NO5 · 219.23 Da
FunctionAntistatic · Hair Conditioning
FeedstockCommercial pantothenic acid is chemically synthesised from petrochemical…

How we scored it

Whole molecule (pantoic acid + beta-alanine amide) built from petrochemical isobutyraldehyde/formaldehyde/HCN and synthetic beta-alanine; no natural building block retained. 0/219 Da ~ 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

Commercial pantothenic acid is chemically synthesised from petrochemical isobutyraldehyde and formaldehyde (via pantolactone) coupled with beta-alanine. A microbial fermentation route exists but supplies only a minor share of cosmetic-grade material.

In plain English

A B-vitamin (B5) added to conditioners and lotions to help skin and hair hold moisture and feel smoother. Almost all of the vitamin sold today is made in a chemical plant from petroleum-derived building blocks rather than extracted from food.

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Structure

2D structure of Pantothenic Acid

3-[[(2R)-2,4-dihydroxy-3,3-dimethylbutanoyl]amino]propanoic acid

PubChem CID 6613 ↗

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. 2Pantothenic Acid. PubChem CID 6613. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3PANTOTHENIC ACID. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4PANTOTHENIC ACID. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PANTOTHENIC%20ACID