Is Quaternium-90 Bentonite natural? NOI 0.91

Q: Is Quaternium-90 Bentonite natural?

Quaternium-90 Bentonite has a Natural Origin Index (NOI) of 0.91 (scale 0–1) per ISO 16128. Bentonite is a mineral clay and the long alkyl chains of the quaternary ammonium come from animal or vegetable fat, while its nitrogen and short substituents derive from petroch… An NOI of 0.91 means 91% of its molecular mass is traceable to a natural, renewable source.

How we scored it

Organoclay assumed 65% bentonite (mineral) + 35% quaternary ammonium cation; of the cation about 75% is fat-derived alkyl chain, 25% petrochemical N, methyl and benzyl-type groups. 0.65 + 0.35 x 0.75 = 0.91.

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 exchanges the sodium ions of purified bentonite for a fatty quaternary ammonium cation (Quaternium-90) in water. The exact structure and loading of Quaternium-90 are not given in the data, so the value is an estimate.

In plain English

A clay thickener treated with a fatty quaternary ammonium compound so that it disperses in oils and solvents. It thickens and stabilises products such as nail lacquers. The clay is mineral; the treatment is partly fat-derived and partly synthetic.

CosIng definition: Quaternium-90 Bentonite is a reaction product of Bentonite (q.v.) and Quaternium-90 (q.v.)

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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.
2QUATERNIUM-90 BENTONITE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
3QUATERNIUM-90 BENTONITE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=QUATERNIUM-90%20BENTONITE