Ocimene has a Natural Origin Index (NOI) of 1.00 (scale 0–1) per ISO 16128. Widely present in essential oils and commercially produced from pine-derived terpene feedstocks rather than petrochemical starting materials. An NOI of 1.00 means 100% of its molecular mass is traceable to a natural, renewable source.

Is Ocimene natural? NOI 1.00 — Is That Natural?

How we scored it

Ocimene is a monoterpene obtained from natural essential oils or made from pine-terpene feedstocks (e.g. myrcene from turpentine); carbon skeleton stays natural-terpene derived, 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

Ocimene occurs naturally in many essential oils (basil, lavender, citrus) and is also manufactured from myrcene, itself derived from pine-tree turpentine. No significant non-terpene petrochemical route is used.

In plain English

A green, herbal-smelling fragrance terpene found in many essential oils such as basil and lavender. It's produced from pine-tree terpene feedstocks rather than petroleum.

Structure

(3E,5E)-3,7-dimethylocta-1,3,5-triene

PubChem CID 6434062 ↗

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.
2Ocimene. PubChem CID 6434062. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
3OCIMENE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
4OCIMENE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=OCIMENE