Database/Hair Dyeing/Phloroglucinol
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Phloroglucinol natural?

No. Synthetic trihydroxybenzene used as a hair-dye coupler; manufactured from petrochemical aromatic feedstocks, not extracted.

INCI namePhloroglucinol
CAS108-73-6
FormulaC6H6O3 · 126.11 Da
FunctionHair Dyeing
FeedstockCommercial phloroglucinol is manufactured by chemical synthesis from…

How we scored it

Benzene-1,3,5-triol, C6H6O3; aromatic phenol built from synthetic benzene-derived intermediates, no natural fragment retained.
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 phloroglucinol is manufactured by chemical synthesis from petrochemical aromatic intermediates. No natural extraction route supplies cosmetic-grade material.

In plain English

A synthetic phenol-type chemical used as a colour coupler in permanent hair dyes. It reacts with other dye components to build the final hair colour molecule.

Natural alternatives with the same function

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A salt formed from bismuth metal and citric acid, a natural fermentation-derived fruit acid, used to buffer, chelate…

 Dihydroxyacetone 100% natural origin

The active self-tanning ingredient that reacts with skin's surface proteins to produce a temporary bronze colour; made by…

 Epicatechin 100% natural origin

An antioxidant compound naturally found in tea and cocoa, used in skin, hair and oral care. It's extracted…

 Lawsonia Inermis Extract 100% natural origin

A plant extract from the henna shrub, used to condition hair and skin and add a reddish tint.…

 Pyrogallol 100% natural origin

A hair-dye ingredient traditionally made by heating gallic acid, itself extracted from plant tannins in gallnuts, until it…

Structure

2D structure of Phloroglucinol

benzene-1,3,5-triol

PubChem CID 359 ↗

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. 2Phloroglucinol. PubChem CID 359. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3PHLOROGLUCINOL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4PHLOROGLUCINOL. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PHLOROGLUCINOL