Is Sodium Cocoyl Methyl Isethionate natural? NOI 0.83

Q: Is Sodium Cocoyl Methyl Isethionate natural?

Sodium Cocoyl Methyl Isethionate has a Natural Origin Index (NOI) of 0.83 (scale 0–1) per ISO 16128. Coconut fatty acid esterified onto sodium methyl-isethionate. The acyl chain and the sodium sulfonate are natural; the three-carbon methyl-isethionate bridge is petrochemical. An NOI of 0.83 means 83% of its molecular mass is traceable to a natural, renewable source.

How we scored it

Coco acyl (lauroyl proxy) C12H23O 183.3 Da (coconut, natural) + SO3Na 103.0 Da (mineral, natural) = 286.4 Da; methyl-isethionate bridge C3H6O 58.1 Da (propylene-oxide derived, petrochemical); total C15H29NaO5S 344.4 Da → 286.4/344.4 = 0.83. Matches Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate.

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

Coconut fatty acids reacted with sodium 2-hydroxypropane sulfonate (methyl isethionate), itself made from propylene oxide and sodium bisulfite.

In plain English

A very mild cleansing ingredient made from coconut fatty acid combined with a small synthetic building block. Common in facial cleansing bars and gentle washes for a soft, low-irritation lather.

CosIng definition: Sodium Cocoyl Methyl Isethionate is the organic compound that conforms generally to the formula

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