Formulation Philosophy

As a clean beauty brand, we strive to provide safe, clean and high-quality ingredients in our formulations. We are completely transparent in our labelling, both on our products and online as a part of our effort to increase awareness and help consumers make better choices.

We know that most harmful ingredients have many different names, with new compounds being developed all the time. That makes them hard to identify and even harder to avoid, as they've become the new norm in skin care formulations. We are working painstakingly to increase our product range while ensuring that these are left out in all their forms.

You can rest assured our products are free from the below ingredients. While many of these ingredients are not legally banned, their use goes against our brand ethos, and therefore they shall remain banned by us throughout our supply chain. Additionally, we manufacture in the United Kingdom and our products are fully compliant with EU regulations.

 

NO PARABÉNS

Parabens are one of the most commonly used preservatives in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. They are known to disrupt hormone function, an effect that is linked to increased risk of breast cancer and reproductive toxicity. They are also carcinogenic, allergenic and cause endocrine disruption.

NO SULPHATES (SLS / SLES / ALS)

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) is widely used as a cleansing and foaming agent in skincare and cosmetics. Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) is a surfactant with a similar chemical formula. However, SLES is milder and less irritating than SLS.

Ammonium Laureth Sulfate (ALS) is the safest and causes the least skin irritation. Yet they all clog pores, cause acne and are unsuitable for sensitive skin. There are concerns that they accumulate with prolonged use to cause organ toxicity and long time users may develop allergens.

NO PETROCHEMICALS

Petrochemicals are shockingly found in almost all skincare and cosmetic products. They include coal tar, paraffin wax, mineral oils, toluene, benzene, PEGs, DEA, TEA, MEA, Butanol, EDTA, Parfum or fragrance and more. Petrochemicals as a whole, act as endocrine disruptors causing Neurotoxicity, Organ Toxicity, Cell Damage and are Carcinogens.

NO PHTHALATES

Phthalates are a group of chemicals most commonly used to make plastic more flexible and harder to break. They also act as a binding agent or a solvent. Also known as plasticisers, they are found in a wide range of skincare and cosmetic products. They are carcinogens and endocrine disruptors, known to cause Organ Toxicity and Reproductive harm.

NO EDTA

Made from ethylenediamine, formaldehyde —a known carcinogen, and sodium cyanide which causes Neurotoxicity and Organ Toxicity. This ingredient is also a penetration enhancer, which means it breaks down the skin’s protective barrier, making it easier for other potentially harmful ingredients in a product or other products to get deeper into your tissues, and perhaps even into your bloodstream.

NO FORMALDEHYDE

Formaldehyde is irritating for the skin and one of the most allergenic substances used in skin-care products. It can cause DNA / Cell damage and is classified as a carcinogen with the possible risk to develop nasopharyngeal cancer and leukaemia.

NO PEGs

Depending on the manufacturing process, PEGs may be contaminated with varying amounts of ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane, which are human carcinogens and can cause Neurotoxicity and Environmental Harm. While carcinogenic contaminants are the primary concern, PEG compounds also show evidence of genotoxicity and if used on broken skin, can irritate and cause systemic or organ toxicity.

NO ETHANOLAMINES (DEA, MEA, TEA)

DEA (diethanolamine), Monoethanolamine (MEA), and Triethanolamine (TEA) are compounds used to make cosmetics creamy, as well as a pH adjuster counteracting the acidity of other ingredients. The EU classifies them as harmful, based on the danger of serious damage to health from prolonged exposure. They are carcinogens and cause environmental harm.

 NO PROPYLENE GLYCOL

This is a skin penetration enhancer, which means it acts as a carrier for other chemicals, helping them reach into your skin and your bloodstream. It has been shown to cause cancer in lab tests, is a skin irritant, a possible Endocrine Disruptor, and a possible Neurotoxin.

NO BHT

Butylated Hydroxytoluene is a fragrance ingredient and a known toxic to the immune system and the skin. It causes skin irritation, brain and nervous system effects, and endocrine disruption. Other tests indicate that possible DNA or cell damage may result with long-term use.

 NO SILICONES

One of the cheapest ingredients in the industry, and therefore extremely popular in beauty formulations, silicones are man-made plastics that serve as fillers. They can be found in some of the most expensive skincare formulations because customers can "see" an almost immediate difference when using what is essentially a liquid plastic wrap on the skin. This forms a barrier on top of your skin, to lock in moisture and gives the appearance of a "glow", while it traps dirt, sweat, bacteria, sebum, dead skin cells and other particles that can cause acne and congestion, ultimately making the skin dull and dehydrated and interfering with cell renewal. They are difficult to remove and cause environmental harm more than anything else.

 NO SYNTHETIC COLOURING

Many Artificial Colours are made using coal tar, petroleum, or heavy metals salts like arsenic and lead. All of these are carcinogens and can cause organ toxicity, neurotoxicity and endocrine disruption.

NO ARTIFICIAL SCENTS

Synthetic fragrances or ‘perfume’ usually contain 95% petrochemicals or more. They are typically carcinogenic and allergenic, can cause organ toxicity resulting in reproductive harm and endocrine disruption.

NO FILLERS

Almost all skincare have fillers in them. By definition, a "filler" component of a cosmetic formula is any ingredient used to create bulk, texture or lubrication. Typically, fillers are not essential to the active part of a formulation, nor do they make a product perform better. Petrochemicals, dyes, fragrances are the typical fillers and these are absent from our products. Overall, fillers can be endocrine disruptors, they often cause Neurotoxicity, Organ Toxicity, Cell Damage, and again most are Carcinogens.

NO PALM OIL

As we support reforestation, we do not use ingredients that are possibly the single largest contributors to deforestation in Southeast Asia. This is a controversial subject, and there are opposing cases for and against. We have chosen simply to exclude palm oil from our products.