Database/Hair Conditioning/Potassium Cocoyl Sarcosinate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Potassium Cocoyl Sarcosinate natural?

Mostly. Coconut-derived fatty acyl and the potassium counter-ion are natural; the sarcosine (N-methylglycine) portion is industrially made by synthetic amination, not fermentation.

INCI namePotassium Cocoyl Sarcosinate
FunctionHair Conditioning · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockPotassium Cocoyl Sarcosinate is made by acylating sarcosine…

How we scored it

Lauroyl (cocoyl) fragment C12H23O=183 natural + K=39 natural = 222; sarcosine remainder (~C3H5NO2, synthetic route) ≈87; total ≈309 → 222/309=0.72.
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

Potassium Cocoyl Sarcosinate is made by acylating sarcosine (an industrially synthesised amino-acid derivative) with coconut fatty acid, then neutralising with potassium hydroxide. The coconut acyl group and potassium are natural; the sarcosine portion is synthetic.

In plain English

A mild cleansing surfactant made by combining coconut-derived fatty acid with a lab-made amino-acid-like ingredient (sarcosine), then neutralising with potassium. Used as a foaming, cleansing agent in washes and shampoos.

CosIng definition: Potassium Cocoyl Sarcosinate is the potassium salt of Cocoyl Sarcosine

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