How we scored it
Where it comes from
Made by condensing urea (from natural-gas ammonia and CO2) with formaldehyde (oxidised methanol) into a cross-linked resin used as bulking beads. No natural-extraction alternative exists; production is entirely synthetic.
In plain English
A synthetic resin formed from urea and formaldehyde, used to bulk out or texturise powders and scrubs. Both starting materials come from natural gas and methanol, not from plants or other renewable sources.
CosIng definition: Urea, reaction products with formaldehyde
Natural alternatives with the same function
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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.
- 2POLYOXYMETHYLENE UREA. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 3POLYOXYMETHYLENE UREA. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POLYOXYMETHYLENE%20UREA