Database/Film Forming/Tributyl Citrate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Tributyl Citrate natural?

Mostly. Citrate backbone comes from fermentation citric acid; butanol, explicitly petrochemical per this site's method, forms the three ester arms.

INCI nameTributyl Citrate
CAS77-94-1
FormulaC18H32O7 · 360.4 Da
FunctionFilm Forming · Plasticiser
FeedstockMade by esterifying fermentation-derived citric acid with petrochemical…

How we scored it

Citric acid core (fermentation) C6H5O7 189.1 Da + 3× butyl C4H9 171.3 Da (petrochemical) = 189.1/360.4 = 0.52
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

Made by esterifying fermentation-derived citric acid with petrochemical n-butanol. Used as a plasticiser and film-former in nail and hair products.

In plain English

A plasticiser and film-forming ingredient made from citric acid, a natural fermentation product, combined with a synthetic alcohol. Found in nail polishes and hairsprays to keep films flexible.

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Structure

2D structure of Tributyl Citrate

tributyl 2-hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylate

PubChem CID 6507 ↗

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. 2Tributyl Citrate. PubChem CID 6507. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3TRIBUTYL CITRATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4TRIBUTYL CITRATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=TRIBUTYL%20CITRATE