Database/Antioxidant/Thioctic Acid
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Thioctic Acid natural?

No. Although trace amounts occur naturally in cells, commercial thioctic acid is manufactured entirely by chemical synthesis from petrochemical starting materials.

INCI nameThioctic Acid
CAS1077-28-7
FormulaC8H14O2S2 · 206.3 Da
FunctionAntioxidant
FeedstockCommercial alpha-lipoic acid is made by multi-step organic…

How we scored it

Alpha-lipoic acid is produced by total chemical synthesis at commercial scale from petrochemical precursors; no viable natural extraction route exists at that scale = 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 alpha-lipoic acid is made by multi-step organic synthesis from petrochemical feedstocks, since natural biological levels are far too low to extract economically. No natural-origin supply route exists at scale.

In plain English

An antioxidant ingredient, chemically identical to a compound found in trace amounts in living cells, made industrially through chemical synthesis rather than extracted from nature.

Natural alternatives with the same function

3-Glyceryl Ascorbate 100% natural origin

A stabilised, water-soluble form of vitamin C used as an antioxidant and humectant in skincare. It is made…

 Acacia Catechu Wood Extract 100% natural origin

An extract of the heartwood of the black catechu tree, rich in plant polyphenols such as catechin. It…

 Acer Palmatum Leaf Extract 100% natural origin

A plant extract from Japanese maple leaves, valued as an antioxidant. It's produced by simple extraction from the…

 Achillea Millefolium Flower Extract 100% natural origin

An extract made from yarrow flowers, a plant long used in traditional herbal preparations. Used to help condition…

 Adenosine 100% natural origin

Adenosine is a naturally occurring compound found in all living cells, playing a vital role in energy transfer…

 Aesculus Hippocastanum Extract 100% natural origin

An extract from the horse chestnut tree, used to soothe and protect skin and tighten its surface feel.…

Structure

2D structure of Thioctic Acid

5-(dithiolan-3-yl)pentanoic acid

PubChem CID 864 ↗

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. 2Thioctic Acid. PubChem CID 864. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3THIOCTIC ACID. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4THIOCTIC ACID. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=THIOCTIC%20ACID