Database/Binding/Polyurethane-33
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Polyurethane-33 natural?

No. Every monomer (DMPA, adipic acid, two glycols, SMDI, hydrazine) is a petrochemical building block.

INCI namePolyurethane-33
FunctionBinding
FeedstockManufactured by prepolymer step-growth polymerisation of petrochemical polyol,…

How we scored it

DMPA, adipic acid, hexylene glycol, neopentyl glycol, SMDI and hydrazine are all petrochemical = 0/MW = 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 by prepolymer step-growth polymerisation of petrochemical polyol, diacid and diisocyanate monomers, neutralised with triethylamine and chain-extended with hydrazine. No natural-feedstock route exists for this synthetic binder.

In plain English

A synthetic polymer used as a binder to help hold a formula together, built entirely from petrochemical glycols, acids and diisocyanates.

CosIng definition: Polyurethane-33 is a complex polymer formed by reacting dimethylolpropionic acid and a polyester composed of Adipic Acid, Hexylene Glycol, Neopentyl Glycol with methylene dicyclohexyldiisocyanate (SMDI) to form a prepolymer. The prepolymer is neutralized with triethylamine and then chain-extended with hydrazine

Natural alternatives with the same function

Agar 100% natural origin

A gelling and thickening gum extracted from red seaweed. It is used to give products body and texture,…

 Algin 100% natural origin

Sodium alginate, a thickening and binding gum extracted from brown seaweed. It's harvested from algae and processed to…

 Alginic Acid 100% natural origin

A gelling and thickening gum extracted from brown seaweed, the acid form of alginate. It's harvested and purified…

 Aluminum Zinc Oxide 100% natural origin

A white mineral powder made from zinc and aluminium oxides. It adds opacity, bulk and absorbency to powders…

 Amylopectin 100% natural origin

A binding and thickening ingredient that is the highly branched component of plant starch, typically sourced from corn,…

 Astragalus Gummifer Gum 100% natural origin

A natural plant gum, known as tragacanth, harvested from a Middle Eastern shrub. Used as a thickener and…

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-33. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3POLYURETHANE-33. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POLYURETHANE-33