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.
| Route | Feedstock | NOI | Share | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enzymatic synthesis from fermentation glutamine plus ethylamine | glucose-fermentation glutamine + synthetic ethylamine | 0.75 | majority of bulk supply | 44.08 Da of the 174.20 Da molecule comes from ethylamine |
| Tea-leaf extraction or whole-cell fermentation | green tea leaf, or microbial fermentation of plant sugars | 1.00 | minority, natural-labelled grades |
How we scored it
Where it comes from
The main route reacts fermentation-derived glutamine or glutamic acid with ethylamine, a small synthetic amine, using a glutaminase enzyme. Smaller volumes are extracted from green tea leaf or produced by direct microbial fermentation, both of which keep every atom natural origin.
In plain English
An amino-acid-like compound found naturally in tea leaves, commercially made by joining a fermentation-derived building block to a small synthetic component. Used to condition skin and hold in moisture.
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Structure
(2S)-2-amino-5-(ethylamino)-5-oxopentanoic acid
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.
- 2Theanine. PubChem CID 439378. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
- 3THEANINE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 4THEANINE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=THEANINE