Database/Cleansing/Sodium Methyl Palmitoyl Taurate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Sodium Methyl Palmitoyl Taurate natural?

Mostly. The palmitic-acid amide is oleochemical; the methyltaurine sulfonate linker traces to ethylene oxide, so only that part is petrochemical.

INCI nameSodium Methyl Palmitoyl Taurate
CAS3737-55-1
FormulaC19H38NNaO4S · 399.6 Da
FunctionCleansing · Foaming
FeedstockThis surfactant's fatty portion comes from palm or…

How we scored it

Palmitoyl C16H31O 239Da (oleochemical) + SO3Na 103Da (mineral) = 342 natural; N-methyl-ethyl linker C3H7N 57Da (ethylene-oxide/methylamine route, petrochemical); 342/399.6=0.86.
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

This surfactant's fatty portion comes from palm or coconut palmitic acid amidated with N-methyltaurine, whose ethanesulfonate backbone is manufactured from ethylene oxide. The sodium sulfonate group itself counts as mineral-origin.

In plain English

A mild cleansing and foaming agent used in shampoos and body washes. Most of its weight comes from palm or coconut fatty acid, with a small linking group made from petrochemical feedstock.

Natural alternatives with the same function

Structure

2D structure of Sodium Methyl Palmitoyl Taurate

sodium 2-[hexadecanoyl(methyl)amino]ethanesulfonate

PubChem CID 517052 ↗

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 Palmitoyl Taurate. PubChem CID 517052. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3SODIUM METHYL PALMITOYL TAURATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4SODIUM METHYL PALMITOYL TAURATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SODIUM%20METHYL%20PALMITOYL%20TAURATE