Database/Antimicrobial/Triclosan
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Triclosan natural?

No. Triclosan is a synthetic chlorophenoxyphenol antimicrobial built from petrochemical phenol and chlorine, with no naturally-sourced building blocks.

INCI nameTriclosan
CAS3380-34-5
FormulaC12H7Cl3O2 · 289.5 Da
FunctionAntimicrobial · Deodorant
FeedstockManufactured by chlorination/condensation of petrochemical phenol derivatives. No…

How we scored it

Chlorinated diphenyl ether from phenol chemistry; entirely petrochemical, no natural fragment = 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

Manufactured by chlorination/condensation of petrochemical phenol derivatives. No natural production route exists.

In plain English

A synthetic antimicrobial preservative once common in soaps and deodorants. It is built entirely from chlorinated phenol chemistry in a factory, with no natural source.

CosIng definition: Triclosan is the substituted organic ether that conforms to the formula:

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Structure

2D structure of Triclosan

5-chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenol

PubChem CID 5564 ↗

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. 2Triclosan. PubChem CID 5564. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3TRICLOSAN. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4TRICLOSAN. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=TRICLOSAN