Database/Hydrotrope Surfactant/Sodium Cumenesulfonate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Sodium Cumenesulfonate natural?

Mostly not. Cumene backbone from petroleum-derived benzene and propylene; sulfonate/sodium fragment counted as mineral-origin per convention.

INCI nameSodium Cumenesulfonate
CAS32073-22-6
FormulaC9H11NaO3S · 222.24 Da
FunctionHydrotrope Surfactant · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockMade by sulfonating cumene (isopropylbenzene), an aromatic hydrocarbon…

How we scored it

Cumenesulfonate = cumenyl ring C9H11 (petrochemical, 119 Da) + SO3Na (natural sulfonate, 103 Da); 103/222 = 0.46
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

Made by sulfonating cumene (isopropylbenzene), an aromatic hydrocarbon produced from petroleum-derived benzene and propylene, then neutralising with sodium hydroxide. There is no commercial natural route to the cumene ring.

In plain English

A hydrotrope that keeps other cleansing ingredients dissolved so liquid soaps and shampoos stay clear rather than clouding or separating. It's made from cumene, an aromatic building block refined from crude oil.

CosIng definition: Cumene, monosulpho derivative, sodium salt

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Structure

2D structure of Sodium Cumenesulfonate

sodium 2-propan-2-ylbenzenesulfonate

PubChem CID 23665765 ↗

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. 2Sodium Cumenesulfonate. PubChem CID 23665765. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3SODIUM CUMENESULFONATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4SODIUM CUMENESULFONATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SODIUM%20CUMENESULFONATE