Sustainable Personal Care Solutions

The ‘clean beauty’ phenomenon is becoming even more prevalent as consumers seek cosmetic product solutions that are safer for themselves and the planet. With this emphasis, they’re scrutinizing the labels on their cosmetic products in search of ones that are composed of natural and organic ingredients derived from plants, minerals, and microscopic organisms. ISO 16128 Part 1: Definitions for ingredients– a framework from the International Standard Organization that provides guidelines on the content of these products – promotes a wider selection of natural and organic materials, encouraging innovation throughout the formulation process.

7 ingredient categories and guidelines of ISO 16128:

1. Natural Ingredients: All components of ingredients are obtained from naturally occurring materials (plants, animals, fungi, microbes). Extracts are included, but chemical modifications to natural products are prohibited under this category.
2. Natural Mineral Ingredients: Naturally occurring inorganic compounds.
3. Organic Ingredients: All components of ingredients are obtained from organically farmed or harvested sources, as defined by the local laws (i.e. FDA). Extracts are included, but chemically modified products are prohibited.
4. Derived Natural Ingredients: At least 50% of the molecular weight (or carbon content) of the ingredient is derived from a natural source (plants, animals, fungi, microbes) using allowed chemistries (see the Annex B of ISO 16128-1 Standard). For ingredient, this is defined by the Natural Origin Index*.
5. Derived Mineral Ingredients: 
       a. Chemically processed inorganic substances which have the same final composition as a naturally occurring material.
6. Derived Organic ingredients: All components are either organic or natural, and do not contain any fossil fuel components.
7. Non-natural ingredients: Ingredients that are greater than or equal to 50 % by molecular weight of fossil fuel origin or other ingredients which do not fall into one of the other categories mentioning above.

*Natural Origin Index: This can be calculated on a scale of 0-1 by considering the natural origin and chemical transformations for a single chemical.

• 1 if the ingredient is fully natural (including solvents). Water is considered a natural solvent in finished products, but not in ingredients.

• Between 0.5 and 1 if the ingredient has partially natural components, calculated by renewable carbon, natural origin molecular mass, or percentage of natural origin weight.

• 0 if the index is calculated to be less than 0.5, or if a prohibited reaction is used.

For an ingredient that is a mixture, the natural content reported is the average of the natural origin indices weighted by content. 
For more information, please visit: https://www.iso.org/home.html 

As Muslim populations continue to grow across the world as cosmetic consumers, it’s crucial to offer a wide range of products that meet halal criteria so they have equal access to high quality beauty care products. Halal cosmetics are produced and composed of ingredients permissible under Islamic law, regulating aspects such as animal treatment and alcohol content.

• Halal (not certified): This product has not been certified for halal status by an authorized certification body. However, Dow has reviewed the raw materials and sourcing based on vendor supplied information. Please contact us to obtain the halal statement on this product.
• Halal certified: An authorized certification body in a country has certified this specific manufacturing site, and several of the products produced in this facility have been certified Halal.

Whether driven by religious adherence or a desire for products that uphold stringent standards regarding ingredients, cleanliness and purity, demand for kosher products is on the rise and Dow is poised to help meet those needs with a wide range of products.

• Kosher (not certified): This product has not been certified for kosher status by an authorized certification body. However, Dow has reviewed the raw materials and sourcing based on vendor supplied information. Please contact us to obtain the kosher statement on this product.
• Kosher certified: An authorized certification body in a country has certified this specific manufacturing site, and several of the products produced in this facility have been certified kosher.