Our raw materials
Raw materials science
We give preference to raw materials of biogenic origin in our entire product range. We make sure that our materials are biodegradable and are obtained and processed as gently as possible. Only by modifying basic materials from nature, in combination with our technical knowledge and expertise, can we develop high-quality, modern and high-performance products.
Here is a comparison to foods that characterizes the deviation from the natural originas a measure of the degree of modification. While wild fruits or salt, unprocessed, represent the purest form of a natural substance, processed flour is already slightly modifiedby the baking process, and saccharin, as a fully synthetic sweetener, is at the bottom of the comparison.
Decovery® Binder-modified starch
| Modification level | Example colors | Example food |
| Renewable natural substances | Dammar resin | Wild fruits |
| Processed natural substances | vegetable resin soap | Baked bread |
| Mineral substances | Lime | Salt |
| Synthetic substances | Thiazoles | Saccharin |
Distribution of raw materials in our product selection
17% Renewable natural resources
15% Processed natural substances
67% Mineral substances
0.3% Synthetic materials
Alcohol
(alcohol denat.)
Obtained by fermenting plants containing starch, e.g. potatoes, and subsequent distillation.
Germany
Thinner, solvent
Alum
(aluminum sulfate)
A white, crystallized powder of potassium and aluminium sulphate used in the production of vegetable dyes.
Germany
Aids
Aluminum silicate
A hydrous clay formed by the weathering of aluminum-rich rocks or a fine mineral filler obtained by technical precipitation.
Europe
Mineral fillers
Amine soap
Are ammonium compounds modified with organic components. Improve the incorporation of binding agents into water-diluted products.
Europe
Aids
Ammonia
(ammonium hydroxide)
Alkaline solution of ammonia in water; for the production of special, water-soluble resin, wax and oil soaps, so-called ammonium soaps.
Germany
Aids
Ammonium soap
Raw materials such as beeswax, oils and resins are saponified with ammonia in our own vats and used as wetting agents for pigments or as binders.
Germany/AURO
Aids
Baking soda
(sodium bicarbonate)
is used in paints as a neutralizing agent, setting retarder.
Germany
Aids
Balsamic turpentine oil
Balsamic turpentine oil should not be confused with turpentine oil substitutes, as these are petroleum-based substitute solvents. Balsamic turpentine oil is obtained by steam distillation from the balsam resin of various pine species worldwide. Balsamic turpentine oil is a vegetable, low-viscosity oil with a slightly resinous and fresh odor. It is used as a thinner in paints and varnishes, but also in bath additives and for medical applications.
Read more about it on the website chemiewende.de by Dr. Hermann Fischer.
Asia
Essential oils
Beeswax
(cera alba)
Pure, unbleached, smooth beeswax from the best provenances, checked for low residue levels.
Germany
Wax
Benzisothiazolinone
Organic compound containing sulphur and nitrogen. Used to preserve products, e.g. in cleaning agents, paints and cosmetics.
Europe
Aids
Bergamot oil
(citrus aurantium bergamia fruit oil)
Genuine yellowish essential oil from the fruit peel of the bergamot tree (Citris bergamia Risso), used as a fragrance.
Europe
Essential oils
Bluewood extract
(haematoxylen campechianum wood extract)
From the heartwood of a tree cultivated in plantations, used for dyeing; dye nuances lie in blue, violet and black ranges.
Europe
Plant colors
Calcite
(calcite)
Natural form of calcium carbonate (like chalk). Available from finely ground to coarse grain sizes. As a filler for varnishes, wall paints, plasters and adhesives.
Europe
Mineral fillers
Calcium hydroxide
Slaked lime in powder form. Produced by burning lime and then slaking it. Binder for lime mortar and lime paints since ancient times.
Germany
Binder
Camomile flower extract
Obtained from an alcoholic extract of chamomile flowers, skin-protecting.
Germany
Aids
Carnauba wax
(copernica cerifera cera)
Hard, water-repellent wax from a Brazilian palm species. The leaves are cut off the tall palm trees (they constantly grow back), the wax is liquefied by boiling in water, skimmed off and physically cleaned (with bleaching earth). Due to its particular hardness, it complements the mechanical resilience of all soft waxes.
South America
Wax
castor oil
(ricinus communis seed oil)
Dryable oil produced from the seeds of the subtropical castor oil plant by dehydration (removal of water), thickly boiled to stand oil, as a binder component.
Asia (orgin)
Oils
Catechu
(acacia carechu bark powder)
Thickened sap extract from the heartwood of the Indian Gerber acacia. Catechu is used for brown to black vegetable dyes.
Asia
Plant colors
Cellulose
(cellulose)
Swelling agent and organic cell-fiber filler produced from wood cellulose by chemical pulping. As an adhesive for wallpaper paste and distemper, as well as a thickening agent and for controlling processing.
Europe
Aids
Chalk
(calcium carbonate)
Natural calcium carbonate from the best deposits, e.g. Hildesheimer Börde, finely ground and slurried, resulting in high whiteness and grain fineness.
Germany
Mineral fillers
Chrome oxide green
(chromium oxide greens)
Green mineral pigment from chromium ores. Production not without environmental impact, but currently no alternative. In contrast to the so-called chromium VI compounds, not soluble, therefore non-toxic.
Germany
Mineral pigments
Citrate
(sodium citrate)
Sodium or potassium salt of citric acid.
Germany
Aids
Citric acid
(citric acid)
Natural fruit acid from the citrus fruit with a good limescale-dissolving and water-softening effect; obtained from molasses by fermentation.
Germany
Aids
Clay
(clay)
Mixture of sand, silt and clay, which is formed during the weathering of rocks. One of the oldest mineral building materials, it has a moisture-regulating effect.
Germany
Mineral fillers
Cochineal
(cochineal)
Red dye, true carmine, which is produced by a species of scale insect that lives on cacti and is widespread in the Canary Islands and Mexico. Used to add a slightly bluish red tone to plant color pigments and in natural egg colors. The red to violet coloring raw material is also used as a food coloring.
America
Plant colors
Coconut oil (organic)
Coconut oil, also known as coconut fat, is a vegetable oil. It is obtained from the fruit of the coconut in a controlled organic process and converted into coconut oil soap using alkaline solutions in our own facilities.
Asia (Philippines - the raw material is processed in the Netherlands)
Soaps
Copper-containing complexes of chlorophylls and chlorophyllins
(chlorophyllin-copper complex)
Pigment obtained from the pigment of the leaf green. The green pigment of the plant leaves is used as a copper complex in plant dyes and natural egg dyes.
Europe
Plant colors
Cork
Closing tissue that almost all green plants form on above-ground and underground parts. However, only the particularly thick cork layer of the bark of the cork oak (Quercus suber), which is native to the Mediterranean region, can be used commercially. It is coarsely to finely ground and used as cork flour, cork meal.
Europe
Aids
Curcuma
(curcuma)
Plant species from the ginger family with intensely yellow flesh that is used fresh and dried as a spice and colorant.
Asia
Plant colors
Dammar
(shorea robusta resin)
One of the most valuable and beautiful plant resins on earth. Its name comes from the Malay word for "cat's eye". It is very light in color and hardly yellows. Its tree of origin in Sumatra is also the supplier of meranti wood. The extraction of dammar resin allows the inhabitants to use the tropical forest sustainably without overexploitation. Using dammar is therefore active work against the destruction of tropical forests.
Asia
Resins
Decovery®
Decovery® is a unique, innovative binder that is exclusively available to AURO in this biogenic quality. It is made from plant alcohol esters from pine and castor bean with a small residual proportion of fossil monomers. Decovery® is subject to continuous further development. With each development step, fossil components are replaced by biogenic ones until they are completely replaced.
Europe
Binder
Dragon’s blood
Dark red resin of the calamus tree, soluble in alcohol.
Asia
Resins
Drying agents (siccatives)
Auxiliaries made from minerals of calcium, cobalt*, zirconium, manganese or iron, metal soaps, for shortening the drying time of vegetable binders.
*Cobalt is used exclusively in product no. 146 Stand Oil Lacquer (classic edition).
Europe
Complexed metal salts
Essential oils
are volatile components of plants, fruits and herbs obtained by distillation.
Essential oils
Eucalyptus oil
(eucalyptus globuklus leaf oil)
Essential oil with a slightly preservative effect from the leaves of the Australian eucalyptus tree, obtained by steam distillation.
Europe
Essential oils
Fatty acids
As a sodium or potassium salt consisting of a hydrophilic/water-loving and a hydrophobic/water-repellent part, predominantly plant-based additives that are well suited as solubilizers, e.g. to emulsify oil in water.
Europe
Aids
Fatty alcohol sulphate
Fatty alcohol obtained mainly from coconut oil by reaction with sulphur oxide and caustic soda and used as a washing raw material.
Europe
Aids
Glauber’s salt
Salt produced from sodium chloride and sulphuric acid for use in vegetable dyes and detergents.
Germany
Aids
Glycerine
Polyhydric alcohol. Component of all animal and vegetable fats, obtained by splitting off the fatty acids. Only of purely vegetable origin.
Germany
Aids
Graphite
Graphite is a very common mineral from the mineral class of "elements". It is one of the natural manifestations of the chemical element carbon in its pure form. This crystallizes in graphite in hexagonal two-dimensional layers, which are also found in pencils. This special property makes it possible to write with pure carbon.
Europe
Aids
Graphs
Graphite, which is known from pencils, consists of many very flat layers of graphene. Graphene forms very flat, two-dimensional, honeycomb-shaped structures that produce particularly large surfaces. These structures give the colors great flexibility and resilience.
Spain
Aids
Hydrogen peroxide
(hydrogen peroxide)
A compound of hydrogen and oxygen, which is also ideally suited as a disinfectant due to its strong oxygen-releasing effect.
Germany
Aids
Indigotine
(indigofera tinctoria)
Extract of the Bengal indigo plant obtained by fermentation. Already used for dyeing 4,000 years ago. Used as a blue plant dye pigment and in natural egg dyes.
Asia
Plant colors
Iron oxide pigments
Fine-particle, even highly transparent pigments with high UV protection, which are used in particular in glazes.
Europe
Mineral pigments
Iron vitriol
Occurs as a mineral in the form of green or white crusts. Iron sulphate is technically produced by dissolving iron in sulphuric acid. This raw material is used to preserve wood, in plant dyeing and tanning.
Europe
Aids
Jojoba oil
Oily vegetable wax from the seeds of the jojoba shrub. Mainly used in cosmetics and care products as a protective and nourishing ingredient.
North America
Oils
Kaolin
(kaolin)
Natural clay mineral (china clay, an alumina silicate). Used as a filler in wall paints, plasters and varnishes. Raw material for porcelain.
Europe
Mineral fillers
Lactic acid
(lactic acid)
Acid produced by the fermentation of sugar using lactic acid bacteria. Counteracts limescale stains on dishes.
Germany
Aids
Larch resin balm
Essential tree resin, obtained by drilling into the trunks. It is colorless, has a terpene-like smell and serves as a binding agent.
Europe
Binder
Lavender oil, lavender oil
(lavandula angustifolia oil, lavandula hybrida oil)
Steam-distilled essential oils of the lavender plant (Lavandula officinalis), which is native to the Mediterranean region.
Europe
Essential oils
Layered silicate
(sodium silicate)
Mineral similar to swelling clay, but produced by precipitation. The silicate particles are arranged flat. The layered silicate has a high binding capacity for calcium and is therefore the main component of our softener building block.
Germany
Aids
Lecithin
(lecithin)
Natural phospholipid obtained from soybeans by hot water extraction with wetting and emulsifying properties.
Germany
Aids
Lemon oil, citrus oil, lime oil
(citrus lemon fruit oil, citrus lemon fruit extract, citrus aurantifolia oil)
Real essential yellowish oils of lemon and lime are used as odorants.
Asia
Essential oils
Lemongrass oil
(cymbopogon schoenantus oil)
Distillate from the essential oil of the tropical grass Andropogon flexuosus, native to the East Indies.
Asia
Essential oils
Linseed oil
(linum usitatissimum seed oil)
Fatty seed oil from the linseed plant obtained by cold and hot pressing, followed by gentle degumming and physical decolorization. As a thick-boiled stand oil, it is a binding agent component, gives high elasticity and creep resistance; partly from regional, improved conventional and also controlled organic (kbA) cultivation.
Germany
Oils
Linseed oil fatty acid
Natural fatty acid obtained from linseed oil by splitting off glycerine; helps to wet pigments.
Germany
Fats
Madder
(rubia tinctorum root)
Dyeing drug from Central Europe, Turkey, Iran with a high content of red dye, which is used for the red plant color pigments in wall glazes.
Asia
Plant colors
Milk casein
Protein component of milk flocculated from cow's milk after separation of the fat by acidification. Valuable binding and emulsifying agent in paints and adhesives. For this purpose, it is digested with mild alkalis (borax) to form casein glue.
Germany
Aids
Mineral pigments
Are inorganic pigments, natural earth colors, artificial iron oxide pigments, e.g. ochre, English red, Persian red, earth black, as well as selected mineral colors such as titanium dioxide, ultramarine blue, chromium oxide green.
Europe
Mineral pigments
Natural gypsum
(calcium sulfate)
Natural gypsum, calcium sulphate, from deposits in the Harz Mountains.
Germany
Plaster
Natural rubber milk
(rubber latex)
Milky sap obtained from the rubber tree cultivated today in South East Asia by scratching, which is a highly concentrated natural dispersion of natural rubber (caoutchouc) in water. Primarily used as a binding agent in adhesives. Always contains some ammonia to prevent flocculation during transportation.
Asia
Binder
Norbixin
Norbixin, name for the colorant of the achiote shrub. It is obtained by grinding the seeds of the achiote shrub and is used as a reddish dye in a variety of ways in food, cosmetics, wall glaze plant colors and natural egg colors.
South America
Plant colors
Orange oil
(citrus aurantium dulcis peel oil expressed)
Essential oil obtained during the production of orange juice. The strong-smelling parts that are distilled off are used in perfumery and aromatherapy. The weaker smelling "terpene bases" are used as a solvent for resins and oils.
America
Essential oils
Orange terpenes
(d-, l-limonene)
Essential oil obtained as a by-product of camphor production. The distilled, strong-smelling parts are used in perfumery and aromatherapy, while the weaker-smelling "terpene bases" are used as a solvent for resins and oils.
Europe
Essential oils
Organic acids
are carbon compounds with slightly acidic properties in contrast to the familiar mineral acids such as sulphuric acid. Such organic acids can improve the coating properties in combination with our binders based on vegetable resins and oils.
Germany
Aids
Palm kernel fat (organic)
(potassium palm kernelate)
Colorless fat obtained organically from the seeds (fruit kernels) of the oil palm, which is a by-product of palm oil production.
Brazil and Ecuador - the raw material is processed in the Netherlands
Fats
Pine terpene alcohol
(pinus palus tris oil)
High-boiling fractions from the distillation of pine balsam turpentine oil after catalytic water addition.
Europe
Thinner, solvent
Plant color clay pigment
Color pigments for paints and wall paints produced using proprietary processes. The coloring drugs (reseda, madder, indigo, cochineal, leaf green, catechu, bluewood, etc.) are extracted with water with the addition of alum, then the pigment is precipitated as alumina color varnish with lyes, filtered and washed. A laborious process that sometimes takes many days to produce the harmonious, radiant shades.
Germany/AURO
Plant colors
Potash
(pottassium carbonate)
Mild alkali formerly leached from plant ash, now obtained by reacting soda with potassium soaps. Used for the saponification of plant waxes, resins and oils.
Germany
Aids
Potassium hydroxide solution
(potassium hydroxide)
Strong alkali for saponifying vegetable oils and fats to produce substances that are effective for washing. Produced by electrolysis from potassium chloride and water.
Germany
Aids
Potassium silicate, silicate sol
Finely dispersed solutions of silicates, silicic acids, in water, which are produced by melting quartz sand and potash, among other things, and are used as a binder for paints or for clouding juices and wines.
Europe
Binder
Potassium sorbate
Salt of sorbic acid, which is found in unripe fruit, for example. Used to stabilize products and foods containing water.
Europe
Aids
Quartz sand
(quartz)
Crystalline silica, silicon dioxide, is one of the most common minerals in the earth's crust. When solidified rocks are weathered, it remains as a chemically very resistant material. Almost unlimited availability.
Germany
Mineral fillers
Rapeseed and castor oil surfactants
Specially selected additives based on vegetable oil, chemically modified, for the in-house production of an aqueous solvent-free oil-resin binder for AURO Aqua products.
Germany
Aids
Replebin
Replebin® is an innovative, biogenic binding agent that was developed by AURO itself in an extensive research project lasting several years. Replebin® consists of plant alcohol esters with organic acids. The innovative binding agent is legally protected and only available from AURO.
Biogenicity of the binding agent regularly tested and confirmed by SGS INSTITUT FRESENIUS.
Germany
Binder
Reseda
(reseda luteola extract)
Dyeing plant (dyer's woof) for the production of the yellow plant dye pigment.
Europe
Plant colors
Rosemary oil
(rosmarinus officinalis leaf oil)
Essential oil produced by steam distillation from the leaves of real rosemary.
Europe
Essential oils
Rosin glycerol ester
The natural resin colophony is modified with the fat component glycerine in a boiling process. The result is a binder with very good weather resistance and elasticity.
Europe
Binder
Safflower oil
Drying oil produced from the fatty seed oil of the safflower thistle, boiled down to stand oil as a low-yellowing binder component.
Europe
Oils
Salicylic acid
(salicylic acid)
is a component of many plants and is obtained from willow bark, for example. It serves as a defense against germs and is therefore used as a preservative.
Germany
Aids
Salt
(sodium chloride)
Undenatured, pure rock salt (sodium chloride) without anti-caking agents to prevent limescale deposits in the dishwasher.
Germany
Aids
Shellac
(shellac)
Symbiotic product of a tree native to India and the lacquer scale insect that lives on it. The resin crusts are detached from the branches, filtered hot through cloths and bleached - not chemically, but purely physically. Elastic binder for quick-drying varnishes.
Asia
Binder
Silicates
Mineral fillers based on silicon oxides. Natural silicates include mica, clay minerals and quartz (silicon dioxide).
Germany
Mineral fillers
Silicic acid
(hydrated silica)
Pure, finely divided silica without crystalline (quartz) structure produced by flame hydrolysis of quartz sand and lime; used as a matting filler or also in silica brines as a filtering agent or as a binding agent.
Germany
Aids
Soaps
(potassium soap)
Fats, oils and resins saponified with potassium hydroxide, caustic soda or ammonia, mainly in our own facilities, e.g. from the seeds of the coconut palm*, linseed oil from the crushed fruit kernels of the oil palm*, from the seeds of rapeseed* (Brassica napus), also known as turnip rape, from the seeds of the subtropical castor oil plant (Ricinus communis), from soybean* oil, from the seeds of the Central European sunflower* (Helianthus annuus). *from certified organic cultivation
America (origin)
Soaps
Soda
(sodium carbonate)
Mild alkali from special salt deposits (soda lakes). Sodium salt of carbonic acid, sodium carbonate, which is used in AURO powder products to break down casein.
Germany
Aids
Sodium benzoate
Salt of benzoic acid, which is the main component of benzoic resin, for example. White, crystalline solid with a stabilizing effect on products containing water, which is also used in foodstuffs, for example.
Europe
Salts
Sodium metasilicate
(sodium metasilicate)
Alkaline, water-soluble sodium salt of silicic acid. In machine rinsing agents, it has a grease-dissolving effect due to its alkalinity and also has a water-softening and anti-corrosive effect.
Germany
Salts
Sodium pyrithione
Organic compound containing sulphur and nitrogen. Used to preserve products, e.g. in cleaning agents, paints and cosmetics.
Europe
Aids
Source clay
(bentonite)
Natural mineral (layered silicate) with pronounced swelling capacity. As a thixotropic agent for aqueous and surface-treated products, also for oily products with pronounced swelling capacity and good dirt-carrying capacity.
Europe
Aids
Spinel pigments
Spinel pigments, formally derived from the mineral "spinel", occur as mixed oxides of magnesium and aluminum. If these metals are replaced by others in the crystal lattice through a thermal process, colored variants are obtained that can be used as pigments. These pigments allow us to extend the AURO color palette many times over and offer strong violet, yellow, blue, orange and green tones, for example.
Europe
Mineral pigments
Stearic acid
occurs in large quantities in fats and oils and is obtained from these by fat splitting. For the production of stearates, as an additive in paints.
Europe
Aids
Sugar surfactant
(lauryl glucoside)
Washing-active substance, produced from raw materials containing sugar by reaction with vegetable oils with the aid of potash at temperatures below 100 °C.
Germany
Aids
Sunflower oil
(helianthus annuus seed oil)
A light yellow fatty oil from the seeds of sunflowers*. It is used in varnishes, paints and soaps.
*from certified organic cultivation
Germany
Oils
Swiss stone pine oil
(pinus sylvestris cone oil)
Swiss stone pine oil is a water-light oil from the Swiss stone pine with a strong but fragrant scent.
Europe
Essential oils
Talcum powder
(talc)
Natural silicate mineral with a pronounced layered structure ("soapstone"). As a filler for paints and varnishes.
Europe
Mineral fillers
Titanium dioxide
(titanium dioxide)
Highly opaque, non-toxic white pigment for paints and varnishes. Produced from natural minerals (e.g. rutile) by separating out colored accompanying substances. Also used as a catalytically effective pigment with a special, fine-particle structure and large surface area to neutralize pollutants.
Asia
Mineral pigments
Ultramarine blue
An inorganic pigment whose crystal structure is similar to lapis lazuli. It is used as a mineral pigment in all blue glazes and varnishes.
Europe
Mineral pigments
Walnut oil
(juglaws regia seed oil)
Fatty seed oil from the fruit flesh. Used as a binder for paints.
Germany
Oils
Water
(aqua)
AURO uses the particularly soft, pure resin water.
Germany
Thinner, solvent
Wheat flour
Pure cereal flour, used as a thickening agent.
Germany
Aids
Wheat semolina
Pure semolina, used as a filling or blending agent. Contains gluten.
Germany
Aids
Wine vinegar
Natural acid obtained from wine by fermentation to alcohol and further fermentation to vinegar.
Germany
Aids
Wood oil
From the nut of the Chinese tung tree, thickly boiled oil as a binder for stand oil as a valuable, well-drying binder component.
Asia (orgin)
Oils
Xanthan gum
(xanthan gum)
High-molecular, natural metabolic product, polysaccharide, of the genetically unmanipulated bacterium Xanthomonas campestris. Can be used as a thickening and binding agent.
Germany
Aids
Zeolite
Aluminum silicate produced by precipitation from alum and water glass, a particularly environmentally friendly phosphate substitute for water softening.
Germany
Aids
