Database/Skin Conditioning/Propylene Glycol Caprylate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Propylene Glycol Caprylate natural?

Mostly. Ester of natural coconut-derived caprylic acid and petrochemical propylene glycol; only the fatty-acid portion is natural.

INCI namePropylene Glycol Caprylate
CAS31565-12-5
FunctionSkin Conditioning · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockCaprylic acid comes from coconut/palm kernel oil fractionation;…

How we scored it

Caprylic acid C8H16O2 (144.2, minus OH = 127.2 retained) natural; propylene glycol C3H8O2 (76.1, minus H = 75.1 retained) petrochemical. 127.2/202.3 = 0.63.
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

Caprylic acid comes from coconut/palm kernel oil fractionation; propylene glycol is made from petrochemical propylene oxide. No natural PG route in commercial use.

In plain English

An ester of a synthetic glycol and coconut-derived caprylic acid, used as a skin-conditioning cleansing ingredient.

Natural alternatives with the same function

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