How we scored it
Where it comes from
Thioglycolic acid is made from petrochemical chloroacetic acid, then neutralised with potassium hydroxide. Only the potassium fraction of the finished salt is natural.
In plain English
A reducing ingredient used in hair-waving and depilatory products to loosen the hair's internal structure. Its acid portion is petrochemical-derived, while the potassium comes from a natural mineral source.
Natural alternatives with the same function
An inorganic mineral salt made by reducing barite ore with carbon. Used as a chemical depilatory that breaks…
Calcium Sulfide 100% natural originAn inorganic mineral salt used in depilatory products to break down hair at the skin surface. Derived from…
Potassium Sulfide 100% natural originAn inorganic mineral salt used as a depilatory. Made from mined potassium and sulfur sources, classed as mineral…
Sodium Sulfide 100% natural originAn inorganic mineral salt used as a depilatory to chemically loosen hair. Manufactured from mined sulfur and sodium…
Strontium Sulfide 100% natural originAn inorganic mineral compound used in depilatory (hair-removal) creams to help break down hair. It is produced from…
Zinc Sulfide 100% natural originA mineral powder used in some hair-removal depilatory products. It is an inorganic zinc compound, similar in origin…
Structure
potassium 2-sulfanylacetate
References
- 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.
- 2Potassium Thioglycolate. PubChem CID 23688957. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
- 3POTASSIUM THIOGLYCOLATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 4POTASSIUM THIOGLYCOLATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POTASSIUM%20THIOGLYCOLATE