diff --git a/packages/atomic/src/components.d.ts b/packages/atomic/src/components.d.ts
index a2ac7066608..eb339734195 100644
--- a/packages/atomic/src/components.d.ts
+++ b/packages/atomic/src/components.d.ts
@@ -884,7 +884,7 @@ export namespace Components {
          */
         "resultsMustMatch": FacetResultsMustMatch;
         /**
-          * The sort criterion to apply to the returned facet values. Possible values are 'score', 'alphanumeric', 'alphanumericDescending', 'occurrences', and 'automatic'.
+          * The sort criterion to apply to the returned facet values. Possible values are 'score', 'alphanumeric', 'alphanumericDescending', 'occurrences', alphanumericNatural', 'alphanumericNaturalDescending' and 'automatic'.
          */
         "sortCriteria": FacetSortCriterion;
         /**
@@ -6934,7 +6934,7 @@ declare namespace LocalJSX {
          */
         "resultsMustMatch"?: FacetResultsMustMatch;
         /**
-          * The sort criterion to apply to the returned facet values. Possible values are 'score', 'alphanumeric', 'alphanumericDescending', 'occurrences', and 'automatic'.
+          * The sort criterion to apply to the returned facet values. Possible values are 'score', 'alphanumeric', 'alphanumericDescending', 'occurrences', alphanumericNatural', 'alphanumericNaturalDescending' and 'automatic'.
          */
         "sortCriteria"?: FacetSortCriterion;
         /**
diff --git a/packages/atomic/src/components/search/facets/atomic-facet/atomic-facet.tsx b/packages/atomic/src/components/search/facets/atomic-facet/atomic-facet.tsx
index eea2caa2292..2df9415ae7b 100644
--- a/packages/atomic/src/components/search/facets/atomic-facet/atomic-facet.tsx
+++ b/packages/atomic/src/components/search/facets/atomic-facet/atomic-facet.tsx
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ export class AtomicFacet implements InitializableComponent {
   @Prop({reflect: true}) public withSearch = true;
   /**
    * The sort criterion to apply to the returned facet values.
-   * Possible values are 'score', 'alphanumeric', 'alphanumericDescending', 'occurrences', and 'automatic'.
+   * Possible values are 'score', 'alphanumeric', 'alphanumericDescending', 'occurrences', alphanumericNatural', 'alphanumericNaturalDescending' and 'automatic'.
    */
   @Prop({reflect: true}) public sortCriteria: FacetSortCriterion = 'automatic';
   /**
@@ -334,6 +334,13 @@ export class AtomicFacet implements InitializableComponent {
   }
 
   public render() {
+    console.log(
+      this.facetId,
+      this.facetState.enabled,
+      this.searchStatusState.hasError,
+      this.searchStatusState.firstSearchExecuted,
+      this.facetState.values.length
+    );
     return (
       <FacetGuard
         enabled={this.facetState.enabled}
diff --git a/packages/headless/src/features/facets/facet-api/request.ts b/packages/headless/src/features/facets/facet-api/request.ts
index 8d0f999b957..fc448dc3c9e 100644
--- a/packages/headless/src/features/facets/facet-api/request.ts
+++ b/packages/headless/src/features/facets/facet-api/request.ts
@@ -92,6 +92,8 @@ export interface SortCriteria<
     | 'score'
     | 'alphanumeric'
     | 'alphanumericDescending'
+    | 'alphanumericNatural'
+    | 'alphanumericNaturalDescending'
     | 'ascending'
     | 'descending'
     | 'occurrences'
diff --git a/packages/headless/src/features/facets/facet-set/interfaces/request.ts b/packages/headless/src/features/facets/facet-set/interfaces/request.ts
index de5a551122e..82861e7476b 100644
--- a/packages/headless/src/features/facets/facet-set/interfaces/request.ts
+++ b/packages/headless/src/features/facets/facet-set/interfaces/request.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ export const facetSortCriteria: FacetSortCriterion[] = [
   'alphanumericDescending',
   'occurrences',
   'automatic',
+  'alphanumericNatural',
+  'alphanumericNaturalDescending',
 ];
 
 export type FacetSortCriterion =
@@ -24,7 +26,9 @@ export type FacetSortCriterion =
   | 'alphanumeric'
   | 'alphanumericDescending'
   | 'occurrences'
-  | 'automatic';
+  | 'automatic'
+  | 'alphanumericNatural'
+  | 'alphanumericNaturalDescending';
 
 export type FacetSortOrder = 'ascending' | 'descending';
 
diff --git a/packages/headless/src/features/search/search-request.test.ts b/packages/headless/src/features/search/search-request.test.ts
index cfa14d194d2..6551d8667f9 100644
--- a/packages/headless/src/features/search/search-request.test.ts
+++ b/packages/headless/src/features/search/search-request.test.ts
@@ -120,6 +120,21 @@ describe('search request', () => {
       type: 'alphanumeric',
     });
   });
+  it('#searchRequest returns the facet state alphanumericNaturalDescending #sortCriteria', async () => {
+    const request = buildMockFacetRequest({
+      field: 'objecttype',
+      sortCriteria: 'alphanumericNaturalDescending',
+    });
+    state.facetSet[1] = buildMockFacetSlice({request});
+    const {facets} = (
+      await buildSearchRequest(state, buildMockNavigatorContextProvider()())
+    ).request;
+
+    expect(facets?.map((f) => f.sortCriteria)).toContainEqual({
+      order: 'descending',
+      type: 'alphanumericNatural',
+    });
+  });
 
   it('#searchRequest returns the facets in the state #numericFacetSet', async () => {
     const request = buildMockNumericFacetRequest({
diff --git a/packages/headless/src/features/search/search-request.ts b/packages/headless/src/features/search/search-request.ts
index 5aab6993014..afffd1a35e2 100644
--- a/packages/headless/src/features/search/search-request.ts
+++ b/packages/headless/src/features/search/search-request.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,11 @@ import {mapSearchRequest} from './search-mappings.js';
 type StateNeededBySearchRequest = ConfigurationSection &
   Partial<SearchAppState>;
 
+type SortCriteria = {
+  type: string;
+  order: string;
+};
+
 export const buildSearchRequest = async (
   state: StateNeededBySearchRequest,
   navigatorContext: NavigatorContext,
@@ -147,20 +152,26 @@ function getAllFacets(state: StateNeededBySearchRequest) {
   ];
 }
 
+const sortCriteriaMap: Record<string, SortCriteria> = {
+  alphanumericDescending: {type: 'alphanumeric', order: 'descending'},
+  alphanumericNaturalDescending: {
+    type: 'alphanumericNatural',
+    order: 'descending',
+  },
+};
+
 function getSpecificFacetRequests<T extends FacetSetState>(state: T) {
   return getFacetRequests(state).map((request) => {
     /* The Search API does not support 'alphanumericDescending' as a string value and instead relies on a new sort mechanism to specify sort order.
     At the moment, this is only supported for alphanumeric sorting, but will likely transition to this pattern for other types in the future. */
-    if (request.sortCriteria === 'alphanumericDescending') {
+    const sortCriteria =
+      sortCriteriaMap[request.sortCriteria as keyof typeof sortCriteriaMap];
+    if (sortCriteria) {
       return {
         ...request,
-        sortCriteria: {
-          type: 'alphanumeric',
-          order: 'descending',
-        },
+        sortCriteria,
       };
     }
-
     return request;
   });
 }
diff --git a/packages/headless/src/utils/facet-utils.ts b/packages/headless/src/utils/facet-utils.ts
index 4cd38279441..0194c8a821d 100644
--- a/packages/headless/src/utils/facet-utils.ts
+++ b/packages/headless/src/utils/facet-utils.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,11 @@ import {ConfigurationSection} from '../state/state-sections.js';
 type StateNeededBySearchRequest = ConfigurationSection &
   Partial<SearchAppState>;
 
+type SortCriteria = {
+  type: string;
+  order: string;
+};
+
 export function sortFacets<T extends {facetId: string}>(
   facets: T[],
   sortOrder: string[]
@@ -40,20 +45,26 @@ function getRangeFacetRequests<T extends RangeFacetSetState>(state: T) {
   });
 }
 
+const sortCriteriaMap: Record<string, SortCriteria> = {
+  alphanumericDescending: {type: 'alphanumeric', order: 'descending'},
+  alphanumericNaturalDescending: {
+    type: 'alphanumericNatural',
+    order: 'descending',
+  },
+};
+
 function getSpecificFacetRequests<T extends FacetSetState>(state: T) {
   return getFacetRequests(state).map((request) => {
     /* The Search API does not support 'alphanumericDescending' as a string value and instead relies on a new sort mechanism to specify sort order.
     At the moment, this is only supported for alphanumeric sorting, but will likely transition to this pattern for other types in the future. */
-    if (request.sortCriteria === 'alphanumericDescending') {
+    const sortCriteria =
+      sortCriteriaMap[request.sortCriteria as keyof typeof sortCriteriaMap];
+    if (sortCriteria) {
       return {
         ...request,
-        sortCriteria: {
-          type: 'alphanumeric',
-          order: 'descending',
-        },
+        sortCriteria,
       };
     }
-
     return request;
   });
 }