Database/Cleansing/Sodium Dodecylbenzenesulfonate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Sodium Dodecylbenzenesulfonate natural?

Mostly not. Benzene ring and dodecyl chain both derive from petrochemical feedstocks; only the sulfonate-sodium head group is natural.

INCI nameSodium Dodecylbenzenesulfonate
CAS25155-30-0
FormulaC18H29NaO3S · 348.5 Da
FunctionCleansing · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockMade by alkylating petrochemical benzene with a linear…

How we scored it

C18H29 dodecylbenzene skeleton 245 Da (petrochemical: benzene + paraffin alkyl) + SO3Na 103 Da (natural); 103/348.5 = 0.30.
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 alkylating petrochemical benzene with a linear paraffin, then sulfonating and neutralising with sodium hydroxide. Both the aromatic ring and the alkyl chain are petrochemical in standard commercial production.

In plain English

A strong cleansing and foaming surfactant used mainly in household and industrial cleaning products. Made by attaching a petroleum-derived alkyl chain to benzene, then sulfonating and neutralising with sodium.

CosIng definition: Sodium Dodecylbenzenesulfonate is the substituted aromatic compound that conforms generally to the formula:

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Structure

2D structure of Sodium Dodecylbenzenesulfonate

sodium 2-dodecylbenzenesulfonate

PubChem CID 23662403 ↗

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 Dodecylbenzenesulfonate. PubChem CID 23662403. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3SODIUM DODECYLBENZENESULFONATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4SODIUM DODECYLBENZENESULFONATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SODIUM%20DODECYLBENZENESULFONATE