Database/Hair Dyeing/Picramic Acid
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Picramic Acid natural?

No. Made from petrochemical phenol through nitration and partial reduction; no natural route exists.

INCI namePicramic Acid
CAS96-91-3
FormulaC6H5N3O5 · 199.12 Da
FunctionHair Dyeing
FeedstockManufactured from petroleum-derived phenol (via picric acid) through…

How we scored it

2-amino-4,6-dinitrophenol; synthesised from petrochemical phenol via nitration -> 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

Manufactured from petroleum-derived phenol (via picric acid) through industrial nitration/reduction. Used as a hair-dye coupler with no natural alternative.

In plain English

A synthetic dye ingredient made from petroleum-derived phenol, used as a colour developer in permanent hair dyes.

Natural alternatives with the same function

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A powder made by drying and grinding sugar beet root. Used as a natural colorant for hair dye…

 Bismuth Citrate 100% natural origin

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 Picramic Acid

2-amino-4,6-dinitrophenol

PubChem CID 4921319 ↗

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. 2Picramic Acid. PubChem CID 4921319. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3PICRAMIC ACID. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4PICRAMIC ACID. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PICRAMIC%20ACID