Database/Skin Conditioning/Sodium Ferulate
Route-dependent · ISO 16128

Is Sodium Ferulate natural?

It depends. Ferulic acid is route-dependent on this site, and the sodium salt follows whichever route supplies the acid. Sodium is a mineral counter-ion on both routes, so the synthetic route is 0.11 rather than zero.

INCI nameSodium Ferulate
CAS24276-84-4
FormulaC10H9NaO4 · 216.17 Da
FunctionSkin Conditioning
FeedstockCosmetic-grade sodium ferulate is commonly made by extracting…

Why the score varies

This ingredient is made commercially by more than one route, and ISO 16128 scores the feedstock actually used. Without a supplier certificate of origin the value cannot be claimed.

RouteFeedstockNOIShareNotes
Plant (bran) extractionRice or wheat bran ferulic acid, sodium neutralised1.00~55%
Chemical synthesisVanillin or guaiacol-type petrochemical precursor, sodium neutralised0.11~45%only the 22.99 Da sodium counter-ion is natural origin
Ask your supplier. A batch-specific certificate of origin or bio-based carbon test (ASTM D6866) settles which route applies.

How we scored it

Sodium ferulate is C10H9NaO4, 216.17 Da, of which the sodium counter-ion is 22.99 Da. Ferulic acid extracted from bran makes the whole molecule natural, 216.17/216.17 = 1.00. Synthetic ferulic acid leaves only the mineral sodium as natural origin, 22.99/216.17 = 0.11.
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

Cosmetic-grade sodium ferulate is commonly made by extracting ferulic acid from rice or wheat bran and neutralising it with sodium hydroxide. A synthetic route through guaiacol or vanillin chemistry also supplies the market, and the sodium comes from mineral salt either way.

In plain English

The sodium salt of ferulic acid, an antioxidant-type ingredient usually extracted from rice or wheat bran, though it can also be made synthetically.

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Structure

2D structure of Sodium Ferulate

sodium (E)-3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)prop-2-enoate

PubChem CID 23669636 ↗

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 Ferulate. PubChem CID 23669636. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3SODIUM FERULATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4SODIUM FERULATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SODIUM%20FERULATE