Database/Opacifying/Styrene/Butadiene Copolymer
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Styrene/Butadiene Copolymer natural?

No. Both monomers, styrene and butadiene, are conventional petrochemical products.

INCI nameStyrene/Butadiene Copolymer
CAS9003-55-8
FunctionOpacifying
FeedstockStyrene/Butadiene Copolymer is manufactured from styrene (benzene-derived) and…

How we scored it

Styrene (benzene-derived) copolymerised with butadiene (petrochemical cracker product), non-hydrogenated; no natural fragment.
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

Styrene/Butadiene Copolymer is manufactured from styrene (benzene-derived) and butadiene, both petrochemical products of steam cracking. This is a fully synthetic opacifying polymer latex with no natural feedstock.

In plain English

A synthetic polymer latex used to make products opaque, similar to synthetic rubber. Made entirely from petroleum-derived chemicals.

CosIng definition: Benzene, ethenyl-, polymer with 1,3-butadiene

Natural alternatives with the same function

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 Aluminum Hydroxide 100% natural origin

A mineral compound of aluminium and hydroxide. Used in skincare as a texture-improving and opacifying agent.

 Aluminum Isostearates/Laurates/Stearates 100% natural origin

A mixed aluminium soap of isostearic, lauric and stearic fatty acids. It thickens oils, stops powders from caking,…

 Aluminum Tristearate 100% natural origin

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 Aluminum Zinc Oxide 100% natural origin

A white mineral powder made from zinc and aluminium oxides. It adds opacity, bulk and absorbency to powders…

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. 2STYRENE/BUTADIENE COPOLYMER. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3STYRENE/BUTADIENE COPOLYMER. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=STYRENE/BUTADIENE%20COPOLYMER