How we scored it
C7H12O6 tetrahydroxycyclohexane carboxylic acid; whole molecule from plant/fermentation feedstock, no petrochemical fragment to subtract.
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
Isolated from plant sources rich in quinic acid, such as cinchona bark, coffee beans and apples, or produced by microbial fermentation from glucose. No significant petrochemical synthesis route exists at commercial scale.
In plain English
A mild acid found naturally in fruits, coffee and bark, used to help adjust the pH of formulas. It is extracted from plants or produced by fermentation, not made from petroleum.
Structure
trans-(3R,5R)-1,3,4,5-tetrahydroxycyclohexane-1-carboxylic acid
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.
- 2Quinic Acid. PubChem CID 6508. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
- 3QUINIC ACID. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 4QUINIC ACID. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=QUINIC%20ACID