Database/Antioxidant/Syringic Acid
Route-dependent · ISO 16128

Is Syringic Acid natural?

It depends. Phenolic acid naturally present in plant byproducts (dates, olives, bran); also made by aromatic chemical synthesis.

INCI nameSyringic Acid
CAS530-57-4
FormulaC9H10O5 · 198.17 Da
FunctionAntioxidant
FeedstockCommercial syringic acid is extracted from plant byproducts…

Why the score varies

This ingredient is made commercially by more than one route, and ISO 16128 scores the feedstock actually used. Without a supplier certificate of origin the value cannot be claimed.

RouteFeedstockNOIShareNotes
plant/agri-byproduct extractiondates, olive pomace, cereal bran polyphenols1.00likely majority for cosmetic grade
chemical synthesis from syringaldehyde/guaiacolpetrochemical aromatics0.00minority
Ask your supplier. A batch-specific certificate of origin or bio-based carbon test (ASTM D6866) settles which route applies.

How we scored it

C9H10O5 dimethoxy-benzoic acid; plant-byproduct extraction keeps all natural carbons (1.0); guaiacol/syringaldehyde chemical synthesis is petrochemical aromatic (0.0).
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

Commercial syringic acid is extracted from plant byproducts such as dates, olive pomace and cereal bran polyphenols. It can alternatively be synthesised from guaiacol-derived syringaldehyde via oxidation, a petrochemical-aromatics route.

In plain English

An antioxidant acid found in fruits, olives and grains, added to help protect formulas from oxidation. It can be extracted from plant material or made synthetically, so its natural content depends on the supplier.

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Structure

2D structure of Syringic Acid

4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzoic acid

PubChem CID 10742 ↗

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. 2Syringic Acid. PubChem CID 10742. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3SYRINGIC ACID. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4SYRINGIC ACID. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SYRINGIC%20ACID