How we scored it
Fermentation extract = 1.0 by convention (yeast biomass and metabolites). Retinol, a synthetic substrate at trace level, would count 0.0 if its atoms persisted; not quantifiable.
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
Pichia yeast is cultured with retinol as a substrate and the culture is extracted; the product is dominated by yeast-derived material. Retinol is mostly synthetic, so the value rests on the fermentation convention rather than a mass balance.
In plain English
An extract from yeast (Pichia) grown in the presence of retinol, a form of vitamin A. It is used as a skin-conditioning ingredient. The extract is mostly yeast-derived material; retinol is only the starting substrate.
CosIng definition: Pichia/Retinol Ferment Extract is the extract of the fermentation of Retinol by the microorganism, Pichia
References
- 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.
- 2PICHIA/RETINOL FERMENT EXTRACT. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 3PICHIA/RETINOL FERMENT EXTRACT. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PICHIA/RETINOL%20FERMENT%20EXTRACT