Database/Preservative/Potassium Propylparaben
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Potassium Propylparaben natural?

Mostly not. Potassium is mineral; the propylparaben anion derives from phenol (Kolbe-Schmitt carboxylation to p-hydroxybenzoic acid) and propanol, both petrochemical.

INCI namePotassium Propylparaben
CAS84930-16-5
FormulaC10H11KO3 · 218.29 Da
FunctionPreservative
FeedstockDominant route: p-hydroxybenzoic acid from petrochemical phenol is…

How we scored it

Mineral: K 39 Da; petrochemical: propylparaben anion C10H11O3 179 Da (phenol, propanol); total 218; 39/218 = 0.18.
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

Dominant route: p-hydroxybenzoic acid from petrochemical phenol is esterified with propanol and neutralised with potassium hydroxide. Fermentation-derived p-hydroxybenzoic acid exists but is not commercially significant.

In plain English

The potassium salt of propylparaben, a preservative that stops bacteria and moulds growing in water-containing products. It is made in a chemical plant from petroleum-derived phenol and propanol; the potassium part is a mineral.

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Structure

2D structure of Potassium Propylparaben

potassium 4-propoxycarbonylphenolate

PubChem CID 23662516 ↗

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 Propylparaben. PubChem CID 23662516. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3POTASSIUM PROPYLPARABEN. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4POTASSIUM PROPYLPARABEN. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POTASSIUM%20PROPYLPARABEN