Database/Binding/Polyurethane-12
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Polyurethane-12 natural?

No. Polyester/polyether polyurethane built entirely from petrochemical glycols, diacid and an aromatic isocyanate; no natural building block present.

INCI namePolyurethane-12
FunctionBinding · Film Forming
FeedstockManufactured from petroleum/natural-gas-derived glycols (trimethylolpropane, neopentyl glycol, PTMEG)…

How we scored it

Trimethylolpropane, neopentyl glycol, DMPA, PTMEG (from THF) and isocyanatomethylethylbenzene are all petrochemical monomers; no natural fragment. 0/total = 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/natural-gas-derived glycols (trimethylolpropane, neopentyl glycol, PTMEG) and an aromatic diisocyanate, condensed with dimethylolpropionic acid. No natural-origin route exists commercially.

In plain English

A synthetic polymer that forms a flexible film on hair or nails, helping other ingredients stick and creating a smooth coating. It is built entirely from petroleum-derived chemical building blocks, not from plants.

CosIng definition: Trimethylolpropane, neopentyl glycol, dimethylol propionic acid, polytetramethylene ether glycol and isocyanato methylethylbenzene copolymer

Natural alternatives with the same function

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. 2POLYURETHANE-12. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3POLYURETHANE-12. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POLYURETHANE-12