Database/Anticaking/Zinc Stearate
100% natural origin · ISO 16128

Is Zinc Stearate natural?

Yes. Stearic acid is an oleochemical fatty acid and zinc is a natural mineral counter-ion; salt formation itself adds no petrochemical mass.

INCI nameZinc Stearate
CAS557-05-1
FormulaC36H70O4Zn · 632.3 Da
FunctionAnticaking · Colorant
FeedstockMade by reacting stearic acid, derived from vegetable…

How we scored it

Zinc (mineral, natural) salt of stearic acid (oleochemical fatty acid, natural). Both fragments natural origin; = 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

Made by reacting stearic acid, derived from vegetable or animal fats, with a zinc salt (zinc oxide or zinc sulfate from mineral ore). Both building blocks are natural origin.

In plain English

A fine powder that prevents caking and adds slip to pressed powders and color cosmetics. Made by combining a fat-derived fatty acid (stearic acid) with mineral zinc.

CosIng definition: Zinc Stearate is the zinc salt of stearic acid that conforms generally to the formula:

Structure

2D structure of Zinc Stearate

zinc bis(octadecanoate)

PubChem CID 11178 ↗

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. 2Zinc Stearate. PubChem CID 11178. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3ZINC STEARATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4ZINC STEARATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ZINC%20STEARATE