Database/Film Forming/Polyurethane-42
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Polyurethane-42 natural?

Mostly not. Polyurethane built from a natural dimer diol and a tartaric-acid diester, linked by petrochemical isophorone diisocyanate. The tartrate's C12-13 alkyl chains are petrochemical oxo alcohols under the site's policy, so they do not count.

INCI namePolyurethane-42
CAS1184186-26-2
FunctionFilm Forming
FeedstockDi-C12-13 alkyl tartrate and hydrogenated dilinoleyl alcohol reacted…

How we scored it

Modelled 1:1:2 repeat unit: di-C12-13 alkyl tartrate (tartrate core C4H4O6 148.1 Da natural, wine-lees tartaric acid; two C12-13 alkyl chains 352.7 Da petrochemical oxo alcohol) + hydrogenated dilinoleyl alcohol C36H74O2 539.0 Da (natural dimer diol) + 2 IPDI 444.6 Da (petrochemical) = 1484.3 Da → natural 687.1/1484.3 = 0.46. Monomer ratio is not published; estimate only.
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

Di-C12-13 alkyl tartrate and hydrogenated dilinoleyl alcohol reacted with isophorone diisocyanate.

In plain English

A film-forming polymer used in hair and skin products, built from plant-derived fatty alcohols and tartaric acid combined with a synthetic isocyanate building block.

CosIng definition: 'Polyurethane-42 is a copolymer of Di-C12-13 Alkyl Tartrate, Hydrogenated Dilinoleyl Alcohol and isophorone diisocyanate

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-42. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3POLYURETHANE-42. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POLYURETHANE-42