Database/Preservative/Sodium Methylparaben
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Sodium Methylparaben natural?

Mostly not. The paraben portion is petrochemical, a phenol-derivative ester; only the sodium counter-ion is natural mineral origin.

INCI nameSodium Methylparaben
CAS5026-62-0
FormulaC8H7NaO3 · 174.13 Da
FunctionPreservative
FeedstockMethylparaben is made from petrochemical 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and…

How we scored it

Methylparaben anion (151.1 Da, petrochemical phenol ester) + Na (23.0 Da, natural mineral) -> 23.0/174.1 = 0.13.
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

Methylparaben is made from petrochemical 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and methanol, then neutralised with sodium hydroxide to form the water-soluble salt. Only the small sodium fraction is natural.

In plain English

The sodium salt of methylparaben, a preservative that stops microbial growth. The paraben portion is built from petrochemical phenol chemistry; only its small sodium component is mineral in origin.

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Structure

2D structure of Sodium Methylparaben

sodium 4-methoxycarbonylphenolate

PubChem CID 23663626 ↗

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 Methylparaben. PubChem CID 23663626. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3SODIUM METHYLPARABEN. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4SODIUM METHYLPARABEN. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SODIUM%20METHYLPARABEN