Active Ingredient: These are the raw materials added to the base formulation to create the desired effect when used on the skin. For example the blemish spot serum contains lichen and lemongrass which are both anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-microbial helping to restore the skin back to its original state by eliminating the toxins built up in the pores.
Antioxidants: These can be found in products which are rich in Vitamins A, C and E to help fight against ‘Free Radical' skin cell damage. Grapeseed oil is a natural rich source for preventing ‘free radicals' so you will find it in many of our formulations.
Comedogenic: Comedogens are often oily or greasy substances found in a wide range of cosmetics and toiletries that block the hair follicles, subsequently they become filled with a mixture of sebum and keratin creating an ideal breeding ground for spots.
Cetyl Alcohol: A vegetable derived emollient for use in creams and lotions not to be confused with ‘alcohol' as found in perfumes.
e/o: Stands for Essential Oils
Emollient: Emollients are applied to the skin to increase the moisture content of the skin. They work by forming a thin layer of oil on the surface, trapping water beneath it and acting as a barrier to water evaporation. The extra moisture soaks into the outer layer of skin cells making them swell. This has the effect of making the skin feel softer and smoother.
Emulsifier: Oil and water do not mix. Since many personal care products contain both oils and water, raw materials that help them to mix must be added. When they mix a creamy substance called an emulsion is formed. The emulsifier is added to the product to prevent the oil and water from separating thereby increasing their shelf life. We use plant derived emulsifiers
Free Radicals: A ‘free radical is an atom or molecule that possesses an unpaired electron' this makes the ‘free radical' extremely reactive usually in a destructive way. It is thought that ‘free radicals' in the skin cause the breakdown of the collagen which gives the skin its elasticity in doing so this can lead to premature aging of the skin.
Petro-chemicals: Ingredients derived from petroleum can be very drying to the skin. They usually come as a mineral oil known as petrolatum.
Preservative: Preservatives are added to water based personal care products to prevent or control the growth of bacteria in a product which can be very dangerous if allowed to grow. Some products are oil based and it is not necessary to preserve these because bacteria do not grow in oil or solid substances.
Using purified water in our products is a major factor to the softness and moisturising effects of our creams and because of the quality of the water we only need to use a very small amount of preservative (less than .03%) as recognised by EU cosmetic regulations. The systems we use are a highly effective way to keep the products fresh. We do not use paraben preservatives because of the known links with breast cancer or alcohol for obvious reasons.
Synthetic perfumes (Fragrance/Parfume): These are added to cosmetics to impart a specific smell to the product. There are 932 fragrance chemicals listed by the EU Commission and only a few of these have to be named separately on the list of ingredients. They are often the cause of adverse reactions to cosmetics. We don't use any of them our products the aromas are entirely from the pure essential oils we use.
Surfactant: A surfactant lowers the surface tension of a cosmetic or toiletry allowing it to act as a cleaning agent. They are usually found in shampoos, shower gels and cleansing lotions, ours is a coconut derived one rather than a petro chemical one.
Please note:
Sodium Lauryl Ethyl Sulphate (SLES) is NOT the same as Sodium Laurel Sulphate (SLS). The molecular structure of the sodium laurel ethyl sulphate (again not to be confused with sodium laurel sulphate) has one molecular claw which effectively just removes the surface grime, where as SLS has several claws which remove the surface grime and the body's own natural oils.
Best Before Date: In March 2005 it became a legal requirement that all cosmetics must have either a ‘Best before date' on them, or the ‘open lid' jar symbol. The ‘Best before date' is applicable if the shelf life is less than 30 months and the open lid symbol is for products with a shelf life of more than 30 months.
If you see a product/brand without this information on you should avoid using it because you have no idea when it was made, or indeed if it has been properly tested to give a shelf life. This is especially true of products from overseas.
We have elected to use the ‘Best before date' which you will find on the base of each product. This is because our products are at their peak when they are new and the widely known use of ‘Best before dates' on food meant people where familiar with this type of information. Unlike the open jar symbol which indicates that you must use the product within 6/12/18/30 months of opening. If you're anything like us we never remember when we opened something!
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