Nopol has a Natural Origin Index (NOI) of 0.82 (scale 0–1) per ISO 16128. Made from natural beta-pinene (pine turpentine) reacted with petrochemical formaldehyde, which contributes one carbon and the hydroxyl oxygen. An NOI of 0.82 means 82% of its molecular mass is traceable to a natural, renewable source.

Is Nopol natural? NOI 0.82 — Is That Natural?

How we scored it

Nopol = beta-pinene (C10H16, 136 Da, turpentine) + formaldehyde (CH2O, 30 Da, petrochemical) addition, all atoms conserved: 136/166 ≈ 0.82.

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.

How it’s made

Prins/ene reaction of beta-pinene with formaldehyde. Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the score above.

Where it comes from

Synthesised from beta-pinene (a turpentine/pine-resin terpene) via a Prins reaction with formaldehyde. No significant alternative route.

In plain English

A pine-scented fragrance ingredient made by reacting a natural pine-tree terpene with a small chemical building block. Most of its structure comes from the pine source.

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Structure

2-(6,6-dimethyl-2-bicyclo[3.1.1]hept-2-enyl)ethanol

PubChem CID 31408 ↗

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.
2Nopol. PubChem CID 31408. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
3NOPOL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
4NOPOL. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=NOPOL