Database/Buffering/Phosphoric Acid
100% natural origin · ISO 16128

Is Phosphoric Acid natural?

Yes. Manufactured directly from mined phosphate rock; ISO 16128 counts minerals as natural origin.

INCI namePhosphoric Acid
CAS7664-38-2
FormulaH3O4P · 97.995 Da
FunctionBuffering
FeedstockProduced from phosphate rock, a mined mineral, either…

How we scored it

Whole molecule H3PO4; direct mineral acid from phosphate rock, no fragmentation needed.
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

Produced from phosphate rock, a mined mineral, either via the sulfuric-acid wet process or by burning elemental phosphorus. No organic/petrochemical route exists for this mineral acid.

In plain English

A mineral acid derived from phosphate rock, used in tiny amounts to fine-tune a product's acidity so it stays stable and feels right on skin.

Structure

2D structure of Phosphoric Acid

phosphoric acid

PubChem CID 1004 ↗

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. 2Phosphoric Acid. PubChem CID 1004. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3PHOSPHORIC ACID. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4PHOSPHORIC ACID. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PHOSPHORIC%20ACID