Database/Hydrotrope Surfactant/Sodium Xylenesulfonate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Sodium Xylenesulfonate natural?

Mostly not. Xylene ring comes from petroleum BTX aromatics; sulfonate/sodium fragment is counted as mineral-origin.

INCI nameSodium Xylenesulfonate
CAS1300-72-7
FormulaC8H9NaO3S · 208.21 Da
FunctionHydrotrope Surfactant
FeedstockMade by sulfonating xylene, an aromatic hydrocarbon separated…

How we scored it

Xylenesulfonate = xylenyl ring C8H9 (petrochemical, 105 Da) + SO3Na (natural sulfonate, 103 Da); 103/208 = 0.49
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

Made by sulfonating xylene, an aromatic hydrocarbon separated from petroleum reforming streams, then neutralising with sodium hydroxide. No natural route to the xylene ring exists commercially.

In plain English

A hydrotrope used to keep cleansing formulas clear and prevent ingredients from separating. It is made from xylene, a petroleum-refinery aromatic chemical, converted to a sulfonate salt.

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Structure

2D structure of Sodium Xylenesulfonate

sodium 3,4-dimethylbenzenesulfonate

PubChem CID 23668192 ↗

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 Xylenesulfonate. PubChem CID 23668192. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3SODIUM XYLENESULFONATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4SODIUM XYLENESULFONATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SODIUM%20XYLENESULFONATE