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

Is Retinyl Retinoate natural?

No. Both retinol and retinoic acid are manufactured by total chemical synthesis from petrochemical intermediates, per this site's convention for synthetic retinol.

INCI nameRetinyl Retinoate
CAS15498-86-9
FormulaC40H56O2 · 568.9 Da
FunctionSkin Conditioning
FeedstockRetinyl Retinoate is made by esterifying synthetic retinol…

How we scored it

Retinol C20H30O (286.5, synthetic) esterified with retinoic acid C20H28O2 (300.4, same synthetic route) - H2O (18.0) = 568.9 (matches given MW); both fragments synthetic => 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

Retinyl Retinoate is made by esterifying synthetic retinol with synthetic retinoic acid, both produced by total chemical synthesis from petrochemical beta-ionone-derived intermediates. There is no commercially viable natural-extraction route for either building block.

In plain English

A skin-conditioning ingredient that combines retinol and retinoic acid, both related to Vitamin A, into one molecule. Both building blocks are manufactured through industrial chemical synthesis rather than extracted from plants.

CosIng definition: Retinyl Retinoate is the ester of Retinol (q.v.) and Retinoic Acid (q.v.).

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Structure

2D structure of Retinyl Retinoate

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

PubChem CID 10303376 ↗

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 Retinoate. PubChem CID 10303376. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3RETINYL RETINOATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4RETINYL RETINOATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=RETINYL%20RETINOATE