FAQ
Questions formulators ask.
Is NACOA a drop-in replacement for activated charcoal?
NACOA BioChar Wood is a single-origin, traceable biochar — a drop-in replacement for traditional industrial activated charcoal (same INCI: Charcoal Powder, CAS 7440-44-0) in cosmetic color and rinse-off applications, with the provenance, documentation and supply security commodity carbon cannot offer. The replacement applies to color, aesthetic and rinse-off uses; NACOA is not offered for formulas whose claims depend on adsorption.
Why is the BET surface area lower than commodity activated charcoal?
Industrial activated charcoal is made for adsorption, typically 800 to 1,200 m²/g. NACOA measures 174.78 to 182 m²/g across two independent laboratories. In color and rinse-off formulas, typically used at low loadings, adsorption capacity is not the function the ingredient is there to perform.
What testing has been done?
Microbiology to USP <61> (aerobic plate count and yeast/mold each below 10 CFU/g, Eurofins, sample BW250326); heavy metals by ICP-MS per DIN EN ISO 21392:2021 (Eurofins Hamburg, DAkkS-accredited); BET surface area by Particle Testing Authority (ISO 9277) and Eurofins EAG. Full results are on the COA.
What documentation do I receive?
Every sample kit ships with the Certificate of Analysis, Safety Data Sheet and Technical Data Sheet for the lot supplied. Commercial orders ship with the COA for each lot.
How does it behave in a formula?
It gives a grey-black shade rather than the jet black of commodity charcoal. In aqueous systems the powder settles within about 60 minutes unless the base is structured; standard rheology modifiers keep it suspended.
Where is it produced?
In Bonao, Dominican Republic, from plantation-grown Acacia mangium. The commercial office is in New York.
What is the carbon claim?
NACOA is carbon-sequestering: pyrolysis converts biomass into stable solid carbon. We do not make a net lifecycle claim.
How do I start an evaluation?
Request a sample kit and tell us the application. We ship the material with documentation so your R&D team can test it in your own base.
Evaluate it in your own base.
Sample kits ship with the COA, SDS and TDS. Tell us the application and we will send the material and documentation your R&D team needs.