Agar has a Natural Origin Index (NOI) of 1.00 (scale 0–1) per ISO 16128. Agar is a polysaccharide gum extracted directly from red seaweed. An NOI of 1.00 means 100% of its molecular mass is traceable to a natural, renewable source.

Is Agar natural? NOI 1.00 — Is That Natural?

How we scored it

Natural algal gum, per this site's convention: 100/100=1.00.

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

Agar is extracted by boiling and drying red algae such as Gelidium and Gracilaria species, harvested from the sea. No synthetic route exists for this marine-derived gum.

In plain English

A gelling and thickening gum extracted from red seaweed. It is used to give products body and texture, and comes entirely from marine algae.

CosIng definition: Agar

Structure

(2R,3S,4S,5R)-2-(hydroxymethyl)-6-[[(4R,5S)-4-hydroxy-3-methyl-2,6-dioxabicyclo[3.2.1]octan-8-yl]oxy]-4-methoxyoxane-3,5-diol

PubChem CID 71571511 ↗

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.
2Agar. PubChem CID 71571511. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
3AGAR. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
4AGAR. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=AGAR