The use of the name cognac is protected under French law. It is an AOC, which stands for Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (controlled designation of origin). Per AOC rules, just four components are legally allowed to be added to your cognac: water, all-natural sugar, caramel and wood flavoring called boisé. However, AOC rules only permit no greater than 4% of additives per total volume. Additionally, Martell cognac does not contain chemical preservatives or sulfites.