Best Clean Beauty FAQs
The USDA states that for a product to be called ‘organic’ it must contain a minimum of 95% certified organic ingredients. We use an average of 90% certified organic ingredients in our products, but we do not claim it to be an organic product by their definition, rather, made with organic ingredients.
We use cetearyl alcohol which is different to ‘regular’ organic grain alcohol. This ingredient is a vegetable source fatty alcohol derived from natural oils and fats (cetyl and stearyl alcohol) used to thicken and stabilize formulations. Cetearyl alcohol helps to impart an emollient feel to the skin without it being overly rich.
Yes, our products range from pH4.5 – 5.5.
No, they are 100% gluten-free.
The propylene glycol we use in our Instant Wrinkle Lift product is derived entirely from vegetable sources. The European supplier we source it from use a catalytic process called hydrogenolysis which converts vegetable glycerin into vegetable propylene glycol. The 0.01% addition of vegetable propylene glycol helps retain the moisture content of skin.
Supporting Fair trade small-scale farming operations around the world can make a difference by helping producers build sustainable livelihoods, diversify their businesses, and even reinvigorate entire sectors of production. On plantations, Fair trade standards contribute to decent working conditions and more freedom of association. Additionally, farmers and workers tend to invest in their local communities, share their knowledge, and innovate to improve their businesses and workplaces, as a company we have seen the benefits of Fair trade extend well beyond the people it supports to where all-women cooperatives are now been set up in South-East Asia where women have come together to form the first all-female cooperative and say that being part of Fair trade has literally changed their lives, and that of their families. This was not as straightforward as it may sound because often in these regions the biggest challenge for women is land ownership. Even though they work side by side with their husbands on their farms, it’s the men who own the land and only landowners are allowed to join a cooperative. So the women have to persuade their husbands to transfer land management rights to them. This then allows them to till part of the land and earn a separate income. Where they previously sat quietly in meetings, keeping their opinions to themselves now, having formed their own Fair trade cooperative, they have given themselves a voice. And this is why we prefer supporting initiatives that allow these farms to remain within the family for future generations, because they are providing a far better and far greater opportunity for women.
We have decided as a company to support global sponsorship growing programs at home and Fair trade abroad. These initiatives allow farms to remain within the family for future generations, and are providing far better and far greater opportunities for women in certain regions, which we fully support.
Yes, it is because we use 1% of natural salicylic acid from the botanical Wintergreen.
A few years back sodium benzoate made headlines when it was found that when used as a preservative in soft drinks along with ascorbic acid (vitamin C), excessive heat exposure could make the two additives form benzene, which is a known carcinogen. Since then, some sites erroneously refer to sodium benzoate as a carcinogen – which is not the case at all. The situation described above that could occur in soft drinks (or other beverages or foods) is not applicable to its use in skin care products. The formula and chemistry in this case is completely different.
Sodium benzoate is also approved for use by Ecocert, a certifying organization that sets standards for organic cosmetics. Ecocert is based in France, but conducts inspections in over 80 countries, making it one of the largest organic certification organizations in the world. Their standards were developed by a team of scientists over the course of years and are some of the strictest available.
On the basis of provided data, the EU Commission Health & Consumer Protection Directorate-General Scientific Committee On Consumer Products (SCCP), it is of the opinion that benzoic acid and sodium benzoate are safe for use for preservative and non-preservatives purposes in cosmetic rinse-off products at a maximum concentration of 2.5 % and in cosmetic oral-care products at a maximum concentration of 1.7 %, and in leave-on products up to 0.5%. The amount we use in SkinSanity® is under the maximum concentration levels.
• Cetearyl Alcohol – used as a viscosity modifier and does have some emulsifier properties. It is derived from coconut oil.
• Cetyl Alcohol – used as a co-emulsifier and is derived from coconut oil.
• Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate – used as an emulsifier and is derived from organic potatoes.
• Glyceryl Stearate – used to help stabilize products and decrease water-evaporation and is vegetable derive
• Sucrose Stearate – used as an emulsifying and skin conditioning agent. It is derived from sugar, which is combined with stearic acid from coconut.
• Sucrose Tristearate – used as an emulsifying and skin conditioning agent and is derived from sugar, which is combined with stearic acid from coconut.
• Isoamyl Laurate – used to improve the spreadability of formulations and is from the esterification of lauric acid (from vegetable oils) and isoamyl alcohol (from fermentation).
• Propylene Glycol – helps retain the moisture content of skin.
As a general rule, the list below indicates ingredients that contain gluten. This list is not exhaustive, but it is rather a list of the most common ingredients found in skincare products;
• Barley Grass
• Barley Hordeum Vulgare
• Disodium Wheatgermamido Peg-2 Sulfosuccinate
• Hordeum Vulgare Extract
• Hydrolyzed Wheat Gluten
• Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
• Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein Pg-Propyl Silanetriol
• Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch
• Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
• Semolina Triticum
• Stearyldimoniumhydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
• Triticum Aestivum
• Triticum Carthlicum
• Triticum Durum
• Triticum Polonicum
• Triticum Spelta
• Triticum Turanicum
• Triticum Turgidum
• Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Flour Lipids
• Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Extract
• Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil
• Wheat (Triticum Vulgare) Bran Extract
• Wheat Amino Acids
• Wheat Bran Extract
• Wheat Germ Glycerides
• Wheat Protein
• Wheat Triticum Monococcum
Strict rules govern the inclusion of preservatives in cosmetics. Throughout Europe, manufacturers must choose from only those preservatives listed in the EU Cosmetics Directive. These have been subjected to scientific tests and approval procedures before they are permitted for use as cosmetic ingredients. The EU Cosmetics Directive (76/768/EEC) protects consumers and makes sure that all cosmetic products on the European market are safe. It requires cosmetics to cause no damage to human health when applied under normal or reasonably foreseeable conditions of use. The preservative used in our skincare formulations is Geogard Ultra™ which is a combination of gluconolactone and sodium benzoate. It is a multi-functional specialty preservative for cosmetics and toiletries, accepted under Natural and Organic cosmetics standards of Ecocert as well as UK Soil Association and NaTrue and is widely considered a reliable and safe alternative to traditional preservatives. What makes this preservative unique is the synergy between the two ingredients which allows for its broad spectrum efficacy. Typically, organic acids on their own are too weak and often require a co-preservative or booster in order to perform optimally. The gluconolactone in this blend works in conjunction with the sodium benzoate to act as an efficient preservative booster, slowly releasing gluconic acid over time thereby contributing to the broader preservation effect.
2 years unopened. After opening it is a further 12 months, if stored properly.
Hypoallergenic does not mean non-allergenic but rather it means the most common skin allergens have been removed from the product. All ingredients are listed on product packaging so one can easily avoid ingredients that may cause them irritation. We always recommend a patch test before trying any new product. Please click, Skin Patch Test, link in the footer of this webiste for detailed instructions.on how to perform a skin patch test.
The rule of thumb is to go from lighter to more concentrated. Start off with a cleanser, followed by your serum and finish with a moisturizer. If you are using an eye serum, that is applied first. If you are using the Wrinkle Lift Serum, which is a more specialized product, you should only apply in the morning, or before a special event on clean skin and the only product you can apply on top of that is makeup using a beauty sponge with a gentle tapping motion. If you apply a moisturizer over the top of the Wrinkle Lift Serum you will neutralize its tightening effects.