Database/Film Forming/Polyvinyl Alcohol
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Polyvinyl Alcohol natural?

No. The precursor vinyl acetate is synthesised from petrochemical ethylene and acetic acid; hydrolysis to the alcohol adds no natural mass.

INCI namePolyvinyl Alcohol
CAS9002-89-5
FunctionFilm Forming · Viscosity Controlling
FeedstockManufactured by polymerising petrochemical vinyl acetate then hydrolysing…

How we scored it

Made by hydrolysing polyvinyl acetate from petrochemical vinyl acetate monomer; repeat unit -CH2-CHOH- C2H4O (44 Da) entirely petrochemical, no mineral fragment. 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.

How it’s made

Base-catalysed methanolysis of polyvinyl acetate (key step). Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the score above.

Where it comes from

Manufactured by polymerising petrochemical vinyl acetate then hydrolysing the acetate groups to hydroxyls. No commercially significant bio-based route exists.

In plain English

A synthetic film-forming polymer used to create a flexible film on skin, hair or nails. It's made entirely from petrochemical starting materials.

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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. 2POLYVINYL ALCOHOL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3POLYVINYL ALCOHOL. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POLYVINYL%20ALCOHOL