ISO 16128 – Natural, mineral, and organic personal care ingredients
Trends such as Clean Beauty, Conscious Beauty and Vegan Beauty have all contributed to the significant rise in demand for natural ingredients and formulations. The rise in popularity of the ISO 16128 standard is unsurprising as there has never been an industry-wide definition of ‘natural.’
What is ISO 16128?
The aim of ISO 16128 is to aid ingredient selection when formulating, to meet the growing consumer demand for natural cosmetics. The standard is not a certification but comprises guidelines on definitions for natural and organic cosmetic ingredients. It offers a framework to determine the natural content of ingredients as well as formulations, to increase transparency for both manufacturers and consumers.
Below are the different categories within ISO 16128. For further information on these definitions please refer to the ISO 16128-1:2016 Guidelines.
Natural Ingredients
Natural ingredients are obtained only from plants (including mushrooms and algae), animals, micro-organisms or minerals, including those obtained from these materials by physical processes and extraction using natural solvents.
An example of an ISO 16128 natural ingredient is a plant extract obtained by aqueous extraction.
Organic Ingredients
Organic ingredients originate from organic farming methods or wild harvesting, in compliance with national laws.
An example of an ISO 16128 organic ingredient is a plant extract grown according to organic farming methods obtained by aqueous extraction.
Derived Natural Ingredients
Derived natural ingredients have greater than 50% natural origin content (by molecular weight or by renewable carbon content) obtained through defined chemical and/or biological processes.
An example of an ISO 16128 derived natural ingredient is a plant extract obtained by aqueous extraction, then hydrolysis.
Derived Organic Ingredients
Derived organic ingredients are of organic or mixed organic and natural origin. They areobtained through defined chemical and/or biological processes, which do not contain any fossil fuel origin components.
An example of an ISO 16128 derived organic ingredient is a plant extract grown according to organic farming obtained by aqueous extraction, then hydrolysis.
Derived Mineral Ingredients
Derived minteral ingredients are obtained through chemical processing of inorganic substances occurring naturally in the earth, which have the same chemical composition as natural mineral ingredients.
An example of an ISO 16128 derived mineral ingredient is Titanium Dioxide.
Explore our ISO 16128 ingredients
In our Product finder, you will find the option to filter by the different ISO 16128 categories:
- Natural Ingredient
- Organic Ingredient
- Derived Natural Ingredient
- Derived Organic Ingredient
- Derived Mineral Ingredient
You also have the option to search by the range of % Natural Origin Content. ISO 16128 information is also available in our Product Information Dossiers, which can be found on specific product pages or in the Technical library.
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