How we scored it
Isostearic acid (natural, from isomerised oleic acid) + sodium (natural mineral counter-ion) → 1.0.
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
Produced by clay-catalysed isomerisation/dimerisation of natural oleic acid (vegetable oil-derived) into branched isostearic acid, then neutralised with sodium hydroxide. A minor petrochemical branched-acid route exists but is not dominant in cosmetics.
In plain English
A cleansing and emulsifying ingredient made from isostearic acid, a branched fatty acid produced from natural vegetable oil, combined with sodium. Helps products foam and blend oil with water.
Structure
sodium 16-methylheptadecanoate
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 Isostearate. PubChem CID 23668820. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
- 3SODIUM ISOSTEARATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 4SODIUM ISOSTEARATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SODIUM%20ISOSTEARATE