Database/Skin Conditioning/Urolithin A
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Urolithin A natural?

No. Urolithin A sold as an ingredient is synthesised; the natural pathway (gut bacteria acting on ellagitannins) is not a commercial source.

INCI nameUrolithin A
CAS1143-70-0
FormulaC13H8O4 · 228.20 Da
FunctionSkin Conditioning
FeedstockTotal chemical synthesis (aryl coupling and lactonisation).

How we scored it

Urolithin A C13H8O4 228.2 Da: commercial material is made by total chemical synthesis from petrochemical aromatics; gut-microbe conversion of pomegranate ellagitannins happens in the body and at research scale only → 0.00.
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

Total chemical synthesis (aryl coupling and lactonisation).

In plain English

A compound related to substances the body produces from pomegranate and walnut compounds, used to condition skin. It's usually made by chemical synthesis rather than extracted from these fruits.

CosIng definition: Urolithin A is the organic compound that conforms to the formula:

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Structure

2D structure of Urolithin A

3,8-dihydroxybenzo[c]chromen-6-one

PubChem CID 5488186 ↗

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. 2Urolithin A. PubChem CID 5488186. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3UROLITHIN A. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4UROLITHIN A. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=UROLITHIN%20A