Database/Skin Conditioning/Retinyl Propionate
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Retinyl Propionate natural?

No. Both the vitamin A backbone and the propionic acid cap are built from petrochemical feedstocks by this site's convention.

INCI nameRetinyl Propionate
CAS7069-42-3
FormulaC23H34O2 · 342.5 Da
FunctionSkin Conditioning
FeedstockManufactured by esterifying synthetic retinol, from petrochemical beta-ionone,…

How we scored it

Retinol, petrochemical from beta-ionone, esterified with propionic acid, petrochemical from ethylene; both fragments 0, so 0/342.5 = 0.0.
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

Manufactured by esterifying synthetic retinol, from petrochemical beta-ionone, with propionic acid from petrochemical ethylene. No natural-extraction route is commercially used.

In plain English

A stable form of vitamin A used to support skin renewal and smooth fine lines. Both its vitamin A core and the acid attached to it are made from petrochemical feedstocks.

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Structure

2D structure of Retinyl Propionate

[(2E,4E,6E,8E)-3,7-dimethyl-9-(2,6,6-trimethylcyclohexen-1-yl)nona-2,4,6,8-tetraenyl] propanoate

PubChem CID 6394572 ↗

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. 2Retinyl Propionate. PubChem CID 6394572. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3RETINYL PROPIONATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4RETINYL PROPIONATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=RETINYL%20PROPIONATE