Key Ingredients
Natural and Organic
- Aloe Oil
- Aloe Vera Juice
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Apricot Oil
- Calendula Extract
- Coco butter
- Coconut Oil
- Cupuacu Butter
- Grapefruit Extract
- Green Tea Extract
- Mango Butter
- Neem Oil
- Olive Oil
- Organic Comfrey Extract
- Organic Kelp
- Rosemary Extract
- Safflower Oil
- Sea Salt
- Shea Butter
- Shikakai Nut
- Sweet Almond Oil
- Tea Tree Oil
- Vegetable Glycerin
- Vitamin B
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- White Willow Bark
Additives & Preservatives
While many products have lists of ingredients with names most of us can barely pronounce, this doesn’t necessarily mean the ingredient is harmful. Check out this list of common additives and preservative to understand just what your product consists of.
Cocamidopropyl Betaine- Cocamidopropyl betaine is a surfactant that comes from coconut oil, and it’s a common ingredient in many liquid skin cleansers. Surfactants are detergents that allow water to wash away the oil and dirt from your skin by decreasing the surface tension of water and making it easier to wet your face. Surfactants are both lipophilic — oil loving — and hydrophilic — water loving — which enables them to remove dirt and oil from your skin. Some surfactants are harsher on skin than others, but cocamidopropyl betaine typically doesn’t cause irritation. In fact, it’s often used in cleansers because of its thickening and foaming properties, which help moisturize the skin. Cocamidopropyl betaine is even found in many baby soaps and shampoos. However, some people can have allergic reactions to the chemical compound. If using cosmetics that contain cocamidopropyl betaine cause your skin to redden, itch or flake, talk to a dermatologist — the surfactant can cause contact dermatitis.
Phenoxyethanol- Phenoxyethanol a preservative used for skincare products which has been deemed a safe ingredient. Made from Earth uses Phenoxyethanol in some of our products, and the ones that do use it, contain less than a 1% concentration of it in our formulations. The main purposes of Phenoxyethanol are for the purposes of keeping bacteria out of our organic ingredients. Without a good preservative, the bacteria that can grow on a skincare product are more harmful than the chemicals themselves. What makes Phenoxyethanol so valuable and healthy, is that only a small amount is required to fight bacteria – that way, there is are more potent ingredients in the products, as oppose to preservative. The US Federal Drug Administration (FDA) reviewed the safety of Phenoxyethanol and approved its use as an indirect food additive. The Citywide Immunization Registry Expert Panel reviewed the safety of Phenoxyethanol, and concluded that it is safe for use as a cosmetic ingredient. Their study further noted that it was nontoxic via oral and skin administration. This was confirmed in their panel review in 2007, as part of their annual evaluation of ingredients.
Coco Glucoside- Works as a surfactant, foaming agent, conditioner and emulsifier. It helps increase the foaming capacity of a solution, and is particularly useful in hair care products, in which it has the ability to smooth out the hair structure and increase manageability. As an anionic surfactant, it mildly cleanses the skin/hair by helping water to mix with oil and dirt so that they can be rinsed off. As an emulsifier, it keeps the oil and water parts of an emulsion from separating, and it also enhances the properties of primary cleansing and moisturizing agents contained in a product. This ingredient is compatible with all skin types and gentle enough to be used in baby products. The Duhring Chamber Test lists it as having the lowest irritation score of all common surfactants. You may find it in a variety of cosmetic products such as body wash, shampoo, cleanser, conditioner, hair dye, liquid hand soap, exfoliant/scrub, acne treatment, facial moisturizer and baby soap.
Glyceryl Caprylate- Natural Surfactant Enhancer (Glyceryl Caprylate Caprate) is a 100% natural thickener for water based cleansing products. It is made from, 100% renewable sources; through the esterification of glycerin from vegetable oil sources and medium chain fatty acids of coconut and / or palm kernel oils. Glyceryl is Kosher, EcoCert and is of 100% natural origin. A skin safe thickener that is mild, non-sensitizing, and non-irritating to eyes or skin.
Sodium Levulinate- Sodium Levulinate is the sodium salt of levulinic acid, and is used as a preservative and skin conditioning agent in cosmetics and personal care products. Little information is available regarding its use in these formulas, although more research is available regarding Sodium Levulinate as a preservative in food, especially fresh meats. In a study published in the Journal of Muscle Foods, Sodium Levulinate was found to inhibit the growth of aerobic microorganisms during storage compared to controls, while not affecting color or pH levels. It is likely to perform similarly in cosmetics and other skin care formulas, protecting products from the growth of microorganisms without significantly altering the integrity of the other ingredients.
Glyceryl Oleate- A plant-derived emollient and emulsifier. Glyceryl Oleate Citrate is one of many glyceryl monoesters (an organic compound formed by an acid and an alcohol). It is a fatty acid monoglyceride (a lipid, an ester of glycerol and one fatty acid) used as an emulsifier and stabilizer for water-in-oil emulsions. Ultimately, Glyceryl Oleate Citrate is a compound used most often in cosmetics and beauty products as a fragrance ingredient (in part due to the pleasant fragrance naturally found in esters); a skin-conditioning agent; an emollient; a surfactant; or an emulsifying agent (CosmeticsDatabase.com). Glyceryl Oleate Citrate has the FDA Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) rating and has also been approved for use in beauty products by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review expert panel. A thorough study by the National Institutes of Health of 43 different glyceryl monoesters and Glyceryl Oleate Citrate was found to be nonirritating and nontoxic to animals or humans.
Caprylyl Capric Triglycerides – A mixed triester derived from coconut oil and glycerin. It comes in the form of an oily liquid, and is sometimes mistakenly referred to as fractionated coconut oil. Mainly works as an emollient, dispersing agent and solvent. As an emollient, it both quickly penetrates the surface to condition the skin/hair, and provides a lightweight and non-greasy barrier of lubrication. As a dispersing agent, it helps enhance the delivery of vitamins, pigments and other active ingredients contained in a solution so that they become evenly spread out and fully absorbed by the epidermis. Its oily texture helps thicken cosmetic formulations and provides a slipperiness, which in turn allows for the easy spreadability of solutions and a smooth after-touch. Cosmetic manufacturers highly value this ingredient for its lack of color and odor, as well as for its stability. It possesses such great stability and resistance to oxidation, in fact, that it has an almost indefinite shelf life. You may find this ingredient in personal care products such as facial moisturizer, lipstick, anti-aging serums, sunscreen, foundation, eye cream and lip/eye liner.
Propandiol Zamea- Zemea® Propanediol, from Tate & Lyle Bio Products, is an innovative, skin-friendly, 100% natural glycol alternative approved by Ecocert and the Natural Products Association. It is used as a humectant or natural solvent in cosmetics and personal care products. It is also used in a variety of home and industrial cleaning products as a natural solvent and enzyme stabilizer. Zemea® is petroleum-free, environmentally sustainable and is certified by the USDA as 100% bio based.
Stearalkonium Chloride- Stearalkonium Chloride is derived from stearic acid, a fatty acid found in plants and animals. It is used primarily in hair products (including as rinses, conditioners, setting lotions and bleaches) to serve as an anti-static agent, although it is also used in some formulas as a preservative or surfactant. According to CosmeticsInfo.com, Stearalkonium Chloride is a “positively charged salt that attracts and binds proteins, which are negatively charged.” It is found to increase luster and improve the condition of wet or dry hair, often serving to de-tangle the hair. Stearalkonium Chloride was originally developed by the fabric industry as a fabric softener, and is often found in hair care products as a less-expensive alternative to protein or herbal ingredients (HealthGoods.com). Stearalkonium Chloride is CIR approved with concentration limits, and in the European Union, it is only approved for formulas at concentrations below 3% in rinse-off products, and a .1% maximum for other products.
Oleoresin- A naturally occurring mixture of oil and a resin extracted from various plants, such as pine or balsam fir.
Sodium Olefin Sulfonate- Olefin Sulfonate is a shorter name for Sodium Alpha-Olefin Sulfonates which can have chain lengths C12-14, C14-16, C14-18, and C16-18. These are mixtures of long chain sulfonate salts prepared by the sulfonation of alpha olefins. The numbers indicate the average lengths of the carbon chains of the alpha olefins. Nonionic tensides as Cocamides, Polysorbates, Decyl glucoside are usually perceived as the mildest surfactants. Betaine is another form of surfactant but is also considered to be very mild. Cocamidopropyl betaine is a derivate of cocamide and glycine betaine (a form of betaine). So that particular surfactant is probably one of the most gentle on the market. Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate on other hand is an anionic tenside, so it’s usually perceived to be one of the more “harsher” ones.
However one should never stare on ingredients alone but look on the whole formulation. Cosmetic manufactures usually mix gentle and “harsh” ingredients together to achieve a formulation that have desired cleaning strength but is as little irritating as possible. Products with large dose of those “harsh” surfactants also often have a good dose of special anti-irritants on order to minimize the negative side effects. Sodium olefin sulfonate raises no health concern because it is not on any lists of toxic chemicals which cause suspected or recognized health effects. It has not been detected in human tissue or urine. It is not a high production volume chemical that lacks safety data
Polyglyceryl-3 Stearate- Derived from Glycerin and Stearyl alcohol. It is of plant origin (palm oil or rapeseed oil), a replenished resource (renewable raw materials), and completely biodegradable. It is also used as a food ingredient. Polyglyceryl-3 Stearate acts as an emulsifier and provides excellent stabilization in emulsion products.
Polysorbate- Our Polysorbate 20 (polyoxyethylene [20] sorbitan monolaurate) is derived from coconut oil. It is a non-toxic, non-ionic surfactant/emulsifier, and a water-soluble yellowish liquid used as a dispersing agent which allows oil and water to mix without the use of alcohol. It’s a fragrance solubilizer and stabilizer; it lubricates and has a soothing effect on the skin. This skin-safe ingredient is used extensively in oil-in-water emulsions (lotions, conditioners, cream rinses, shampoos, liquid soaps, body polishes or scrubs, etc.) and also for body mists and linen sprays. This will be found as an ingredient in the majority of body toiletries, cosmetics, and wipes now in the market. Polysorbates are generally used in combination with other emulsifiers such as mono- and di-glycerides or sorbitan monostearates for various purposes such as to disperse flavors and colors, to make essential oils and vitamins soluble, and to improve volume and texture in baked goods.
*Surfactants are a large group of surface active substances with a great number of (cleaning) applications. Most surfactants have degreasing or wash active abilities. They reduce the surface tension of the water so it can wet the fibres and surfaces, they loosen and encapsulate the dirt and in that way ensure that the soiling will not re-deposit on the surfaces. Surfactants have a hydrophobic (water repellent) part and a hydrophilic (‘water loving’) part. The hydrophobic part consists of an uncharged carbohydrate group that can be straight, branched, cyclic or aromatic. Dependent on the nature of the hydrophilic part the surfactants are classified as an-ionic, non-ionic, cat-ionic or amphoteric.
Anionic surfactants-When the hydrophilic part of the surfactant consists of a negatively charged group like a sulphonate, sulphate or carboxylate the surfactant is called anionic. Basic soaps are anionic surfactants. Over the last 50 years many soaps have been replaced with more efficient substances like alkyl sulphates, alkyl sulphonates and alkyl benzene sulphonates. Anionic surfactants are sensitive to water hardness.
Non-ionic surfactants-A surfactant with a non-charged hydrophilic part, e.g. ethoxylate, is non-ionic. These substances are well suited for cleaning purposes and are not sensitive to water hardness. They have a wide application within cleaning detergents and include groups like fatty alcohol polyglycosides, alcohol ethoxylates etc.