Database/Cleansing/Sodium Methyl 2-Sulfolaurate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Sodium Methyl 2-Sulfolaurate natural?

Mostly. The lauric acid chain is coconut or palm kernel derived and the sulfonate and sodium are mineral, while the methyl ester group comes from petrochemical methanol.

INCI nameSodium Methyl 2-Sulfolaurate
CAS4016-21-1
FormulaC13H25NaO5S · 316.39 Da
FunctionCleansing · Foaming
FeedstockDominant route sulfonates palm kernel or coconut fatty…

How we scored it

C13H25NaO5S = 316.4 Da. Lauroyl chain C12H22O 182 + SO3Na 103 natural = 285; methoxy OCH3 31 from methanol petrochemical; 285/316 = 0.90.
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

Dominant route sulfonates palm kernel or coconut fatty acid methyl ester (lauric cut) with sulfur trioxide and neutralises with sodium hydroxide. The methyl ester uses methanol from natural gas syngas, and no fully natural methanol route is significant.

In plain English

A foaming cleansing agent made by sulfonating the methyl ester of lauric acid. Lauric acid comes from coconut or palm kernel oil, the sulfonate from sulfur, and the methyl group from methanol, which is usually made from natural gas.

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Structure

2D structure of Sodium Methyl 2-Sulfolaurate

sodium 1-methoxy-1-oxododecane-2-sulfonate

PubChem CID 23691031 ↗

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 Methyl 2-Sulfolaurate. PubChem CID 23691031. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3SODIUM METHYL 2-SULFOLAURATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4SODIUM METHYL 2-SULFOLAURATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SODIUM%20METHYL%202-SULFOLAURATE