Database/Nail Conditioning/Polyurethane-51
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Polyurethane-51 natural?

No. All five monomers (acrylate, methacrylate, synthetic diols, polyether, diisocyanate) are petrochemical with no natural building block.

INCI namePolyurethane-51
FunctionNail Conditioning
FeedstockPolyurethane-51 is built entirely from petrochemical acrylate, glycol…

How we scored it

Copolymer of hydroxyethyl acrylate, HEMA, 1,2-butanediol, poly(butanediol) and a cyclohexane diisocyanate — every monomer is petrochemical; 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

Polyurethane-51 is built entirely from petrochemical acrylate, glycol and isocyanate monomers via industrial polymerisation. No component has a commercial natural-origin route.

In plain English

A film-forming polymer used in nail products to improve wear and gloss. It is constructed entirely from synthetic, petroleum-derived building blocks.

CosIng definition: Polyurethane-51 is a copolymer made by reacting 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), 1,2-Butanediol (q.v.), poly(1,4-butanediol) and 1,3-bis(isocyanatomethyl)cyclohexane.

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-51. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3POLYURETHANE-51. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POLYURETHANE-51