Ingredients

How we choose our Ingredients

All of our products meet the rigorous scientific standards of our multi-steps safety assurance process. They also meet or exceed U.S. and E.U. cosmetic ingredient safety guidelines, or whichever is stricter when they differ.
We are committed both to the science of safety and to the art of creating products that are gentle on both people and the environment.
Every one of our products on the market today is safe when used as directed. But our Responsible Care Commitment takes us beyond safety alone, to meet your highest expectations of us. If consumers raise concerns about an ingredient, even if that ingredient meets government safety regulations and is supported by science, we’ll always listen. In order to protect your peace of mind, we may set a goal of reducing or eliminating that ingredient and developing new alternatives through our continuous research and development efforts.
Every time we change a formulation, we need to take it through our Safety assurance process to ensure that it meets or exceeds regulatory standards and the high standards we set to ourselves. After all, if we decide to eliminate an ingredient, we have to ensure that its replacement is also safe. This takes time, well over a year for each new formula. That’s why, moving beyond safety is a long term journey and we are committed to tell you about our progress on this journey.

How we choose our Ingredients

All of our products meet the rigorous scientific standards of our multi-steps safety assurance process.
They also meet or exceed U.S. and E.U. cosmetic ingredient safety guidelines, or whichever is stricter when they differ.
We are committed both to the science of safety and to the art of creating products that are gentle on both people and the environment.
Every one of our products on the market today is safe when used as directed. But our Responsible Care Commitment takes us beyond safety alone, to meet your highest expectations of us. If consumers raise concerns about an ingredient, even if that ingredient meets government safety regulations and is supported by science, we’ll always listen. In order to protect your peace of mind, we may set a goal of reducing or eliminating that ingredient and developing new alternatives through our continuous research and development efforts.
Every time we change a formulation, we need to take it through our Safety assurance process to ensure that it meets or exceeds regulatory standards and the high standards we set to ourselves. After all, if we decide to eliminate an ingredient, we have to ensure that its replacement is also safe. This takes time, well over a year for each new formula. That’s why, moving beyond safety is a long term journey and we are committed to tell you about our progress on this journey.

We Don't Use
Preservatives

We use preservatives in our products to protect you from potentially harmful mold and bacteria that could develop in personal care products if they were not preserved.
Preservatives maintain freshness and quality long after you take our products home. Many preservatives in use today are found in nature. Parabens, for example, are found in blueberries, it is nature’s way of preventing spoilage in fruits and vegetables. Others are specially created in the laboratory to be both mild and effective. Still, preservatives need to be chosen with great care. Some of the same properties that make preservatives effective in killing harmful bacteria can also give them the potential to be harsh on people, which is where our expert formulators come in. Our scientists ensure that the preservatives we use have been thoroughly evaluated for safety, are mild, and that we use the minimum amounts necessary to protect the product from spoiling.
No one preservative is right for every product. Because products differ in how they are used, and in chemical properties such as their pH balance, different preservatives are needed for different product formulations. That’s an important reason to have a variety of preservatives available.

Our approach on Preservatives:
There are many factors that guide our selection of preservatives for our formulations. Will the product be used on babies or adults? Will it be washed off, or remain on the skin? How does the preservative work in combination with other ingredients?
Our goal is to use the smallest quantities possible to deliver the safety and effectiveness you expect. These quantities are often far below the limits set by regulators, and always meet government guidelines for safety. But we know safety alone is not enough.
We also evaluate any preservatives we use for mildness and the potential to cause allergies. And as part of our in-use testing process, we consider how you might use or store the product in your home.
No matter which of our products you choose for you and your family, you have our commitment that it has gone through our Safety assurance process and that we’re confident you will have a pleasant experience using it.

We Don't Use
Formaldehyde-Releasing Preservatives

The Use of Formaldehyde-Releasing Preservatives in Personal Care Products
Low levels of formaldehyde are widely found in nature. It is an organic compound that is present in all living organisms – found in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. In fact, human cells have about 3 parts-per-million (ppm) formaldehyde and it’s common in food as well – some fruits have 60 ppm.
Government regulators in Europe, Asia and North America allow maximum concentration of formaldehyde up to 2,000 ppm in personal care products. They have concluded that it poses no harm to humans at these levels because our bodies process it quickly and it does not accumulate.

Our approach on Formaldehyde-Releasing Preservatives:
We never add formaldehyde directly to our products. Instead, we use what are known as formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, which release tiny amounts of methylene glycol, the alcohol form of formaldehyde, over the shelf life of a product. This means that all of our products stay significantly below the levels considered safe by regulators.
While the small amounts of formaldehyde-releasing preservatives in food and personal care products are safe, we understand that for many of you it’s more than just a question of safety. For that matter, we will phase out formaldehyde releasers in adult products progressively, making rare exceptions for adult products only when alternatives are not feasible or safe in formulation with other ingredients.

We Don't Use
Parabens

The Use of Parabens in Personal Care Products
Parabens can be found naturally occurring in fruits and vegetables. Mangos, blueberries and honey all contain parabens. There are many different types of parabens, and they have long been used in personal care products to safely ensure that harmful bacteria or fungi don’t have the opportunity to grow, causing irritation and other skin problems. Including a preservative, such as a paraben, in a product’s formulation helps guarantee its freshness and quality long after you take it home.
The Expert Panel of the U.S. Cosmetic Ingredient Review has reviewed the use of parabens in personal care products and concluded they are safe at levels up to 1 percent. This is similar to E.U. regulations, which say that when multiple types of parabens are used in a formulation, each paraben cannot exceed 0.4 percent for a total level of up to 0.8 percent. In the products we make that still contain parabens, they are present at levels significantly below the current E.U. and U.S. regulations.

Our approach on Parabens:
We understand that from your perspective, government regulations may not be your only consideration when it comes to the personal care products you and your family use. In response to public concerns, we are in the process of restricting the use of certain parabens.
We are progressively phasing out the use of all parabens from all our products.

We Don't Use
Other Materials

The way a product feels, smells and looks is an essential part of your experience using it. All of these characteristics are tied back to specific ingredients that ensure each product is safe and effective.
Complexity of Ingredients
The reality is that most ingredients, even natural ones, are made of a complex assembly of chemical compounds. For example, an orange peel has over 30 ingredients. Having a lot of ingredients isn’t bad or harmful. The key is to understand how we source these ingredients and formulate them into our products. And, ultimately, how they work in harmony to increase the safety and the effectiveness of the products you use in your home.

Our approach on ingredients:
The ingredients we use are all thoroughly evaluated during our Safety assurance process
We also test each formulation to be confident that the raw materials we’ve selected remain safe and effective when we combine them in a product.
Our Responsible Care Commitment includes ongoing reviews of the latest available science about the ingredients we use. New science is always emerging, and concern can grow around a particular ingredient based on new information. If emerging evidence raises legitimate concerns about the safety or safe use of our ingredients, we will reduce it or remove it from our products.
Sometimes, concerns come to public attention based on speculation or questionable science, which still might make people uncomfortable with a particular ingredient. We listen carefully to these discussions and often we’ll find ways to reduce or eliminate ingredients of concern, even if it’s not a matter of safety, to help ensure our customers peace of mind.

We Don't Use
1,4 Dioxane in Personal Care Products

The Use of 1,4 Dioxane in Personal Care Products
Shampoos and cleansers often contain trace, or very tiny, levels of a compound known as 1,4 dioxane. This compound is a byproduct of the process that makes cleansers mild and nonirritating. 1,4 dioxane is also found naturally in some foods, including tomatoes and coffee.
Measuring a Trace Material
When something is called a trace material, that means it accounts for a tiny part of the overall make up of a product. In the case of our personal care products, we measure traces in parts-per-million (ppm). This is a very small measure, the equivalent of roughly one millimeter in a kilometer.
We only work with suppliers that utilize processes that reduce the presence of 1,4 dioxane in their ingredients, and we evaluate the materials in all our products to ensure these extremely low levels.

Our approach on 1,4 Dioxane:
Numerous regulatory agencies around the world have studied 1,4 dioxane and determined that it poses no harm at the trace levels found in personal care products.
Still, we’re in the process of reducing them even further.
We are rolling out formulations of our body wash, hair shampoo and baby products that reduce the traces of 1,4 dioxane to the lowest measurable level: 1 to 4 ppm which is in line with the levels considered safe by the most stringent regulators around the world.

We Don't Use
Fragrances

For many people, the fragrance is what makes the product. Others prefer their products fragrance-free. When we create a fragrance, you can be sure that – at a minimum – it complies with the highest safety standards established by the International Fragrance Association (IFRA). IFRA is the world’s leading authority on the safe use of fragrances by consumers and within the environment.

Our approach on Fragrances:
While fragrance formulations are considered proprietary, we want you to know some of the ingredients that we don’t put in our fragrances. We go beyond IFRA standards by restricting or eliminating ingredients where there are legitimate emerging questions, even though the science is far from settled.

We Don't Use
Phthalates

The Use of Phthalates in Personal Care Products
Phthalates are a class of chemical compounds most often associated with plastics. They are clear and odorless organic compounds.
There are two classes of phthalates based on the compound’s molecular weight. High-weight phthalates are used to make vinyl products like PVC pipe more flexible and durable; this class is not used in cosmetics.
Low-weight phthalates have historically been used safely and effectively in various personal care products.

Our approach on Phthalates:
Scientists and regulators have reaffirmed that phthalates are safe at the levels commonly used in personal care products.
Diethylphthalate (DEP), a low-weight phthalate, is considered by scientific experts to have a well-established safety profile.
Despite DEP’s strong safety record, we understand that because it is so tied to other phthalates in the public discussion, the best way to keep your confidence is to not use it. All our baby products are free from phthalates. As for adult products, we stopped using DEP in new adult products, and we will gradually phase out its use in all our adult products.

We Don't Use
Triclosan

The Use of Triclosan in Personal Care Products
Triclosan is the most commonly used antibacterial ingredient in consumer products worldwide. It has a long and well-studied history in many personal care products such as toothpastes, deodorants, soaps and lotions
In recent years, some questions have been raised about the potential environmental impact of Triclosan. And some have questioned whether its use may promote the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. While current science has not demonstrated evidence for these concerns, the issues will be studied further and are likely to be discussed for some time.

Our approach on Triclosan:
Despite Triclosan having a long and extensive history of safe use, we do not use it in our products.

We Don't Use
Aluminium salts

Aluminium salts are a common ingredient in antiperspirants because of the role they play in controlling the flow of sweat to the skin’s surface. Health authorities, charities and cancer experts assert that there is no credible evidence to support newspaper stories which claim that aluminium salts may be linked to breast cancer. For more information visit www.antiperspirantsinfo.com.

Our approach on Aluminum salts:
We do not have anti-perspirant products and we only manufacture deodorants that are aluminum free and that only contain a safe and mild anti-microbial agent.

We Don't Use
Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) and Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)

Anionic surfactants (cleaning agents) are used in many personal care products due to their excellent foaming properties. Their basic building blocks are derived from vegetable oils.
Both SLS and SLES are safe for use in cosmetic products. Both ingredients were reviewed in 1983 and re-reviewed in 2002 by the independent U.S. Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel and found to be safe for use in cosmetic and personal care products.

Our approach on SLES and SLS:
We only use a high grade, vegetable based (sourced from palm and coconut oil) Sodium laureth sulfate because it is milder and less irritant than Sodium lauryl sulfate.