How we scored it
Whole phospholipid (ceramide + phosphocholine) extracted from milk, egg yolk or brain lipid sources; treated as a natural lipid extract. 494/494 = 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.
Where it comes from
Sphingomyelin is a phospholipid naturally present in animal cell membranes; the cosmetic ingredient is typically extracted from milk or egg yolk lipid fractions. No significant fully-synthetic route is used commercially.
In plain English
A natural fat found in animal cell membranes, such as those in milk or egg yolk, used here to help condition skin. The cosmetic ingredient is typically extracted from these natural sources.
Structure
2-[[(E,2S,3R)-2-formamido-3-hydroxyoctadec-4-enoxy]-hydroxyphosphoryl]oxyethyl-trimethylazanium
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.
- 2Sphingomyelin. PubChem CID 44176376. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
- 3SPHINGOMYELIN. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 4SPHINGOMYELIN. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SPHINGOMYELIN