Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/Potassium Undecylenate
100% natural origin · ISO 16128

Is Potassium Undecylenate natural?

Yes. Undecylenic acid comes from pyrolysis of castor-oil ricinoleic acid and potassium is a mineral counter-ion.

INCI namePotassium Undecylenate
CAS6159-41-7
FormulaC11H19KO2 · 222.37 Da
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Preservative
FeedstockDominant route cracks castor oil ricinoleate to undecylenic…

How we scored it

Undecylenate C11H19O2 183.3 natural (castor oil); potassium 39.1 mineral; 222.4/222.4 = 1.0.
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

Dominant route cracks castor oil ricinoleate to undecylenic acid and neutralises it with potassium hydroxide. No commercially significant petrochemical route exists.

In plain English

The potassium salt of undecylenic acid, a soap-like ingredient used for mild cleansing, emulsifying and preserving. The acid comes from castor oil.

CosIng definition: Potassium Undecylenate is the potassium salt of Undecylenic Acid.

Structure

2D structure of Potassium Undecylenate

potassium undec-10-enoate

PubChem CID 23692638 ↗

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 Undecylenate. PubChem CID 23692638. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3POTASSIUM UNDECYLENATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4POTASSIUM UNDECYLENATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POTASSIUM%20UNDECYLENATE