Is Sodium PCA natural? NOI 1.00

Q: Is Sodium PCA natural?

Sodium PCA has a Natural Origin Index (NOI) of 1.00 (scale 0–1) per ISO 16128. Built from fermented glutamic acid that cyclises losing only water; sodium is a natural mineral counter-ion. An NOI of 1.00 means 100% of its molecular mass is traceable to a natural, renewable source.

How we scored it

Sodium salt of pyroglutamic acid from cyclised fermentation glutamic acid (loses only water) + Na (mineral) → 151/151 = 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.

How it’s made

Glutamic acid → pyroglutamic acid (intramolecular lactam; water shuttle). The film draws the key step and names the steps after it. Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the score above.

Where it comes from

Made from L-glutamic acid produced by fermenting plant sugars (corn, molasses), which is cyclised and neutralised with sodium.

In plain English

A salt form of a natural moisturising-factor component found in skin, used to attract and hold water. Made by fermenting plant sugars into glutamic acid and converting it.

Structure

sodium 5-oxopyrrolidine-2-carboxylate

PubChem CID 23666346 ↗

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 PCA. PubChem CID 23666346. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
3SODIUM PCA. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
4SODIUM PCA. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SODIUM%20PCA