Database/Fragrance/Saccharin
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Saccharin natural?

No. A fully synthetic aromatic sweetener made from petrochemical toluene/phthalic-anhydride feedstock, with no natural building blocks involved.

INCI nameSaccharin
CAS81-07-2
FormulaC7H5NO3S · 183.19 Da
FunctionFragrance · Oral Care
FeedstockIndustrially synthesised from toluene, or o-toluenesulfonamide/phthalic anhydride, via…

How we scored it

Benzoic sulfimide synthesised from toluene or phthalic anhydride (petrochemical aromatic feedstock); no natural production route exists.
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

Industrially synthesised from toluene, or o-toluenesulfonamide/phthalic anhydride, via sulfonation and imidisation. No natural or bio-based route is used commercially.

In plain English

An intensely sweet, calorie-free flavouring used in tiny amounts in oral-care products. Entirely lab-synthesised from petrochemical starting materials, not found in nature.

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Structure

2D structure of Saccharin

1,1-dioxo-1,2-benzothiazol-3-one

PubChem CID 5143 ↗

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. 2Saccharin. PubChem CID 5143. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3SACCHARIN. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4SACCHARIN. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SACCHARIN