Is VP/Vinyl Caprolactam/DMAPA Acrylates Copolymer natural? NOI 0.00

Q: Is VP/Vinyl Caprolactam/DMAPA Acrylates Copolymer natural?

VP/Vinyl Caprolactam/DMAPA Acrylates Copolymer has a Natural Origin Index (NOI) of 0.00 (scale 0–1) per ISO 16128. All five monomers are petrochemical vinyl and acrylic building blocks, so no fragment of the polymer is natural in origin. An NOI of 0.00 means 0% of its molecular mass is traceable to a natural, renewable source.

How we scored it

Copolymer of vinylpyrrolidone (acetylene/butyrolactone chemistry), vinyl caprolactam (caprolactam from cyclohexanone), dimethylaminopropyl acrylamide, acrylic acid and methyl acrylate: every monomer is petrochemical → 0/total = 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

Vinylpyrrolidone, vinyl caprolactam, DMAPA acrylamide, acrylic acid and methyl acrylate, all from petrochemical acetylene, cyclohexanone, propylene and ammonia chemistry, polymerised together.

In plain English

A synthetic hair-fixing resin made from five petroleum-derived monomers; nothing in it comes from a plant, mineral or animal source.

CosIng definition: 1-Ethenyl-2-pyrrolidinone, polymer with 1-ethenylhexahydro-2H-azepin-2-one, N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-2-propenamide, 2-propenoic acid and methyl 2-propenoate

Natural alternatives with the same function

Chitosan 100% natural origin

A film-forming, hair-fixing polysaccharide derived from chitin, the natural material in crustacean shells. Treating chitin with a mild…

Chitosan Lactate 100% natural origin

A film-forming, hair-fixing polymer made from chitosan, from crustacean shells or fungi, combined with lactic acid, a fermentation-derived…

Decapeptide-11 100% natural origin

A lab-assembled peptide made from natural amino acids, used to condition hair and help fix style. All of…

Dehydroxanthan Gum 100% natural origin

A thickener made by removing water from fermentation-derived xanthan gum, used to stabilise formulas and hair-styling products.

Oleuropein 100% natural origin

A powerful antioxidant compound naturally abundant in olive leaves. It's extracted directly from the leaves, not manufactured.

Rhizobian Gum 100% natural origin

A polysaccharide gum made by fermenting sugars with Rhizobium bacteria. Used to form films, fix hairstyles, and control…

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.
2VP/VINYL CAPROLACTAM/DMAPA ACRYLATES COPOLYMER. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
3VP/VINYL CAPROLACTAM/DMAPA ACRYLATES COPOLYMER. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=VP/VINYL%20CAPROLACTAM/DMAPA%20ACRYLATES%20COPOLYMER