Sulfur has a Natural Origin Index (NOI) of 1.00 (scale 0–1) per ISO 16128. Single inorganic element; classified natural/mineral origin whether mined (Frasch process) or recovered from gas desulfurisation. An NOI of 1.00 means 100% of its molecular mass is traceable to a natural, renewable source.

Is Sulfur natural? NOI 1.00 — Is That Natural?

How we scored it

Elemental sulfur, S; minerals and elements are natural origin under ISO 16128 regardless of recovery route. 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

Cosmetic-grade sulfur is obtained either by mining natural deposits (Frasch process) or as a recovered by-product of natural gas and petroleum desulfurisation. Either route yields the same elemental mineral.

In plain English

A mineral element, either mined or recovered during natural gas and petroleum refining. Used in skincare formulated for oily or blemish-prone skin.

Structure

sulfane

PubChem CID 5362487 ↗

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.
2Sulfur. PubChem CID 5362487. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
3SULFUR. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
4SULFUR. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SULFUR