Database/Light Stabilizer/Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid natural?

No. Synthetic aromatic sunscreen chromophore assembled entirely from petrochemical benzene-derived intermediates; no natural production route exists.

INCI namePhenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid
CAS27503-81-7
FormulaC13H10N2O3S · 274.30 Da
FunctionLight Stabilizer · Uv Absorber
FeedstockPhenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid (Ensulizole) is manufactured by condensing…

How we scored it

Benzimidazole sulfonic acid chromophore built from petrochemical benzene-derived aniline/sulfanilic acid precursors; no natural-origin fragment present in the molecule.
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

Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid (Ensulizole) is manufactured by condensing petrochemical aniline/benzimidazole and sulfanilic acid intermediates derived from benzene. No commercial natural or fermentation route exists.

In plain English

A synthetic sunscreen ingredient that absorbs UV-B rays. It's built from petroleum-derived aromatic chemicals in a lab, not extracted from any plant or natural source.

CosIng definition: Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid is the aromatic organic compound that conforms to the formula:

Natural alternatives with the same function

Structure

2D structure of Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid

2-phenyl-3H-benzimidazole-5-sulfonic acid

PubChem CID 33919 ↗

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. 2Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid. PubChem CID 33919. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3PHENYLBENZIMIDAZOLE SULFONIC ACID. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4PHENYLBENZIMIDAZOLE SULFONIC ACID. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PHENYLBENZIMIDAZOLE%20SULFONIC%20ACID