How we scored it
Single natural metabolite isolated from lichen by solvent extraction; no chemical synthesis, 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.
Where it comes from
Extracted from Usnea and related lichen species using solvent extraction and purification. Total chemical synthesis exists in the literature but is not the commercial cosmetic-grade route.
In plain English
An antimicrobial compound extracted from lichen. It occurs naturally in the lichen and is purified out of it, rather than being built up from chemicals.
Structure
2,6-diacetyl-7,9-dihydroxy-8,9b-dimethyldibenzofuran-1,3-dione
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.
- 2Usnic Acid. PubChem CID 5646. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
- 3USNIC ACID. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 4USNIC ACID. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=USNIC%20ACID