How we scored it
Citric acid core C6H5O7 192 Da (fermentation, natural) + 3 ethyl groups from bioethanol (assumed dominant route, natural) = 276/276 → 1.0
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.
How it’s made
Where it comes from
Made by esterifying fermentation-derived citric acid with ethanol, assumed to be bioethanol (fermentation of corn/sugarcane), the dominant commercial source. A petrochemical (ethylene-derived) ethanol route also exists and would lower the value to about 0.70.
In plain English
An ester made from citric acid (from fermented sugars) and ethanol. Used as a solvent, plasticizer, and fragrance ingredient, and to help control how formulas flow.
CosIng definition: Triethyl Citrate is the triester of ethyl alcohol and citric acid that conforms to the formula
Structure
triethyl 2-hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylate
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.
- 2Triethyl Citrate. PubChem CID 6506. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
- 3TRIETHYL CITRATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 4TRIETHYL CITRATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=TRIETHYL%20CITRATE