Organic and natural ingredients
Many chemical ingredients are derived from natural sources – such as plant essences and minerals – and are labelled as ‘natural’, ‘organic’, 'herbal' or ‘pure’. However, they may not meet our definition of a naturally occurring chemical because of the process used to extract the chemical from its source.
What is a naturally occurring chemical?
Naturally occurring chemicals can be either:
- an unprocessed chemical that is found in nature, such as chemicals from plants, micro-organisms, animals, the earth and the sea
- a chemical that is found in nature and extracted using a process that does not change its chemical composition
If all the ingredients in your product that you import or manufacture meet our definition of a naturally occurring chemical, then you do not need to register with us.
It’s important to note that most processes used to extract chemicals and aroma compounds from the natural environment – such as steam distillation and solvent extraction – create ingredients that do not meet the legal definition of ‘naturally occurring’ because their chemical composition has been changed.
Examples of naturally occurring chemicals
We don't have a list of approved chemicals or ingredients to use in products. But here are some examples of chemicals that are – or are not – defined as naturally occurring. As you’ll see, it depends on the process used to extract the chemical.
| Naturally occurring | Not naturally occurring | |
|---|---|---|
|
Essential oils Aroma compounds extracted from plant materials are commonly used in cosmetics. |
If you produce essential oils using maceration, cold-press extraction or water distillation of plants, then they are defined as naturally occurring chemicals. | If you produce essential oils using steam distillation or solvent extraction of plants – including the stems, leaves, roots, flowers or fruit – then they are not defined as naturally occurring chemicals. These processes change the chemical composition of the source product. |
|
Argan oils This plant oil extracted from the kernels of the argan tree is commonly used in cosmetics. |
If you produce argan oil by cold-pressing the fruit and seeds from Argania spinosa, then it is defined as a naturally occurring chemical. | If you deodorise (the selective removal of volatile compounds from the oil using steam) the argan oil after cold-pressing, then it is not defined as a naturally occurring chemical. This process changes the chemical composition of the source product. |
|
Plant extracts Extracts from the leaves, roots or flowers of a plant can have industrial uses and are often included in cosmetics or cleaning products. |
If you freeze-dry a plant (or part of a plant), grind the material and then use water to obtain the extracts, those extracts are defined as naturally occurring chemicals. | If you extract the ground-up plant with a solvent other than water (such as methanol), then it is not defined as a naturally occurring chemical. This process changes the chemical composition of the source product. |
| Beeswax | Beeswax that is heated to remove any water is defined as a naturally occurring chemical. | If you treat beeswax at any stage with bleaching earth or activated carbon (for example, to change the colour of the wax), then it is not defined as a naturally occurring chemical. This process changes the chemical composition of the source product. |
|
Chemicals used in construction |
These chemicals are defined as naturally occurring if they are obtained from the earth without chemical or heat processing: non-bleached clays |
These chemicals and products contain ingredients that are not defined as naturally occurring: |
| Mineral ores | These mineral ores are defined as naturally occurring if they are obtained from the earth without chemical or heat processing: hematite magnetite bauxite chalcopyrite. |
Extractive and secondary manufacturing methods – such as refining, roasting, smelting, steelmaking and leaching – result in chemicals that are not defined as naturally occurring |
https://www.industrialchemicals.gov.au/