Database/Emollient/Propylene Glycol Dicaprate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Propylene Glycol Dicaprate natural?

Mostly. Capric acid is oleochemical (coconut or palm kernel oil); propylene glycol is made from petrochemical propylene oxide.

INCI namePropylene Glycol Dicaprate
CAS56519-72-3
FormulaC23H44O4 · 384.6 Da
FunctionEmollient
FeedstockDecanoic acid from palm kernel or coconut oil…

How we scored it

C23H44O4 384.6: 2 decanoyl C10H19O 310.5 natural; propylene glycol diyl-dioxy C3H6O2 74.1 petrochemical; 310.5 / 384.6 = 0.81.
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

Decanoic acid from palm kernel or coconut oil is esterified with propylene glycol, normally made from petroleum propylene oxide. Supplier note: bio-based propylene glycol from glycerin exists and would give 1.0, but the site this site's method scores propylene glycol as petrochemical.

In plain English

A light, non-greasy emollient oil that softens skin and spreads easily in creams and make-up. It is the diester of propylene glycol and capric acid, a fatty acid from coconut or palm kernel oil.

Natural alternatives with the same function

Structure

2D structure of Propylene Glycol Dicaprate

2-decanoyloxypropyl decanoate

PubChem CID 103849 ↗

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 Dicaprate. PubChem CID 103849. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3PROPYLENE GLYCOL DICAPRATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4PROPYLENE GLYCOL DICAPRATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PROPYLENE%20GLYCOL%20DICAPRATE