Tag: ingredients

Beeswax Honey Pinterest graphic Blog Post

Why We Avoid Beeswax and Honey

Posted on by Lydia D

Why We Avoid Beeswax and Honey

There are a number of reasons why we avoid beeswax and honey – both in our skincare products and in our diet. Many of us grew up putting honey on our pancakes and burning hand-rolled beeswax candles. We may even have tasted a real honeycomb. But times have changed. Colony collapse disorder is threatening to render the honeybee, as well as many other native bees, extinct. For a species that has been around for tens of billions of years, this is truly concerning.

It is important to understand the role that bees play in agriculture. Yes, they pollinate our flowers, but they are also crucial to the production of about 30% of the world’s crops. That includes such crops as berries, avocados, apples, citrus fruits, sunflowers, and the list goes on. Without bees, most of these crops would cease to exist. While other animals are known to transfer pollen, bees are the workhorses of the agricultural world.

Why Are Bees Dwindling in Number?

There are many theories; here are a few:

  • Large agricultural operations with hundreds of acres of a single crop require a huge number of bees in order to produce a large harvest. To do this, they often “rent” bees from individuals who truck them in from far away. Prolonged travel puts a tremendous strain on the bees. Feeding on just one type of crop can suppress their immune system, leading to disease.
  • Bees involved in large commercial operations are often fed poor diets consisting primarily of high fructose corn syrup during these long trips across the country, which leaves them weakened and susceptible to disease.
  • Environmental factors like high levels of pesticides, excessive heat and a changes in flower growth patterns leave the bees with less food and damaged immune systems.

To learn more about these issues, watch the documentary https://youtu.be/CBmlwx_6A8Q on Youtube.

What Can We Do To Help The Bees?

The demand for both beeswax and honey continues to grow. In much the same way as palm oil (which we also avoid), these products are found in everything from skincare products to furniture wax to candies, candles, etc. This can only fuel in increased use of bees in ways that leave them vulnerable to disease and death. While there are thousands of bee species, the few that produce honey are the ones that are relied on to produce ever increasing amounts of honey and beeswax. Here are a few things that you can do:

  • Avoid the use of pesticides. Not only have they been implicated in colony collapse disorder, but repeated exposure may put your health at risk, as well. Use natural means like vinegar (for killing weeds), diatomaceous earth (avoid inhaling), and hand picking to eliminate pests. Use companion plants (e.g. tomatoes and basil), which will encourage good bugs to take care of pests. After all, pesticides can kill beneficial species like bees as well.
  • Avoid products containing commercially-produced honey and beeswax (Cera alba). Although honey, propolis and royal jelly have been touted for their health-promoting properties, these products are not essential for good health and these claims have not been substantiated scientifically. Moreover, more and more consumers are experiencing sensitivity to beeswax. Harvesting these products disturbs the bee’s habits and habitat in some way – which is something that we’d like to avoid. There are many substitutes for honey like maple syrup, agave nectar, and simple syrup made from organic cane sugar. Instead of beeswax, we use candelilla wax, carnauba wax, sunflower wax, and (in the future) bayberry or non-gmo rapeseed wax in our products. For example, we have been using sustainably-harvested candelilla wax in our Body Balms since Day 1. So check your labels or go online and find out what ingredients are in your skincare products. And look for plant-based, vegan and gmo-free products.
  • Buy local whenever possible. That includes local produce, seeds and flowering plants. If you can grow your own food, do so organically. Plant flowers that attract bees like bee balm, purple coneflower and sunflowers. And if you must enjoy honey and beeswax, buy local honey from reputable independent beekeepers. They are more fully committed to preserving the bees’ habitats and health.
  • Learn more about the indigenous bee species that live in your area. Many bee species do not produce honey, but their important role as pollinators should not be ignored.

Let us strive to co-exist with these workhorses, while helping them to thrive and grow in number.

References:
The Kind Life blog post on beeswax
Article on market demand for beeswax
Smallbones Studio article on beeswax candles
PETA article on factory-farmed bees
BBC Earth article about bees

Are All Bar Soaps The Same?

Are All Bar Soaps The Same?

Posted on by Lydia D

Are All Bar Soaps The Same?

You may have asked yourself this question for a number of reasons. Perhaps you’re a new parent and you’re curious about ingredients. Or perhaps you have sensitive skin and you’d like to know if one soap is better than the other. No matter what the reason, the answer is “No.” Not all bar soaps are the same. Here are a few key points to remember about bar soaps that you may not be aware of:

    • Not all bar soaps are true “soaps”. If you have fats combined with lye, or sodium hydroxide, then you have a soap. Otherwise, it must be called something else (like Dove’s “Beauty Bar” or other “Syndet” bars”. Syndet is short for Synthetic Detergent.)
    • Bar soaps vary widely in their ingredients. Some use rendered fat from slaughtered animals as their primary ingredients. Most use palm oil, a plant-based saturated fat found in everything from foods to cosmetics. Still others use synthetic emulsifiers or fragrances which do not have to be revealed to the consumer.
    • Bar soaps are manufactured using a variety of techniques. Triple-milled soaps are manufactured using a process perfected in France, which involves the use of machinery to mix, compress and shape the bar soap. Other soaps are made by hand using either a cold process or hot process method. Still others are made using “melt and pour” bases which contain alcohols and other ingredients.
    • While there are many soaps out there claiming to be “age-defying”, etc., chances are that the ingredients do not touch your skin long enough to have any real benefit. The real purpose of bar soap is to clean.

    Confusing? It can be. For example, it was once common to see many antibacterial bar soaps on store shelves. What made them antibacterial? It was usually the use of the ingredient Triclosan, which has been much maligned recently for its possible implication in bacterial resistance, pollution of our waterways, and other issues. Essentially, the best way to eliminate pathogens is by washing hands properly with plain soap and water.

    Where Can You Start?

    You can begin by listing the qualities of bar soap that you are looking for. Do you want a product that is made in the U.S.A.? Do you want it to be free of synthetic perfumes, dyes and preservatives? Do you want it to be free of animal ingredients? Do you want it to be biodegradable/safe for the environment? By knowing which properties you want in a bar soap, you can quickly narrow down the list of products that fit the bill. If you would like to explore our line of botanical bar soaps, please go to the bar soaps page in our webstore.

    You may, in fact, end up using different products to cleanse different parts of the body – like an oil or cream cleanser for the face and bar soap for everything else. The choice is yours. Once you understand how bar soaps differ in terms of ingredients and their degree of cleansing, you can make a more educated choice that is in sync with your needs and values as well as your wallet.

    References:
    Smithsonian article on why you should stop using antibacterial soap
    The Beauty Brains article about different surfactants

Silicones in skincare and haircare

Pros and Cons of Silicones in Skincare and Haircare

Posted on by Lydia D

Why Silicones in Skincare and Haircare?

You may have noticed that many different silicones can be found in skincare and haircare products today. There are a number of reasons why formulators – and customers – like products containing silicone. With many names, some ending in “oxane”, they are in cosmetics, as well. There are also reasons to be cautious when using skincare and haircare products containing silicone. It’s important to know, first of all, what silicone is and how they are used in skincare and haircare products.

What Is Silicone?

Silicone – also called polysiloxane – is a synthetic polymer derived from the element silicon and oxygen atoms. Silicon is extracted from common sand with a variety of chemicals, most of which are recycled or inert (e.g. water). It’s been used in personal care products for more than 30 years, which comprises about 15% of all uses for silicones. It is now used in everything from breast implants and beauty blenders to products found at Home Depot. Because it repels water, it’s useful for projects that require a waterproofing substance. Two types of silicone are commonly used; water soluble and non-water soluble.

Silicones In Skincare

If you look at the labels on most skincare and cosmetic products, you’ll find ingredients like Dimethicone, Cyclomethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane and Cyclohexasiloxane. These silicones are not water soluble. Silicones are popular in primers for their ability to leave skin feeling silky smooth, and they tend to reflect light. Most recently, polymers like Polybutene and Polyisobutene may appear on your product labels. It’s becoming more difficult to identify silicones in beauty products. For those of us who are looking to avoid synthetics, it’s becoming almost impossible to avoid them in skincare products. That, in and of itself, is troubling. Consumers should be able to choose whether or not to use products containing synthetic polymers that don’t benefit the skin in any long-lasting way.

So what’s so wrong about silicone in skincare? The answer often depends on your skin type and personal preferences. The moisture-trapping nature of silicone may mean that it also traps other substances (like dirt and oils) that may cause breakouts. And while everyone loves smooth-looking skin, it’s a short-lived effect rather than the result of a product’s impact on the skin. Their water-repellent nature can also make them more difficult to remove, which requires more intense cleansing at the end of the day.

We’ve decided to avoid using silicones in our Whole Earth Body Actives Vitamin C Face Cream. Instead, we’ve incorporated isoflavones derived from bamboo to smooth and enhance the skin’s appearance.

Silicones in Haircare

At first, the benefits of using silicones in haircare may seem obvious. They serve to smooth our frizzines, and who doesn’t love that? However, the water-repellent nature of most silicones can cause them to accumulate in their hair, making it heavy. Removing this product from their hair then requires the use of a deep-cleaning (e.g. harsher) clarifying shampoo. For dry, curly hair, this can do more harm than good. For many, the use of a nourishing oil like coconut or argan would be preferable to smoothing a synthetic all over the hair. Recently, some products formulate with water-soluble silicones that are easier to wash out. Examples are hydrolyzed wheat protein and ingredients that begin with PEG.

Finally, there’s a question of sustainability and eco-friendliness with this ingredient. Petroleum by-products are used to create silicones, which begs the question: do we want such a by-product in our skincare and haircare products? There may also be a question of bioaccumulation in the environment and what this means for wildlife. Given the furor over the use of plastic beads, it’s something to think about.

    References:

Silicone discussion in Wikipedia
Dow Corning Information about Silicone
Health Canada’s webpage on the safety of cosmetic ingredients

New Year's Resolutions Worth Keeping

New Year’s Resolutions Worth Making

Posted on by Lydia D

Another New Year’s Eve has come and gone.

It’s only human for us to see the new year as an opportunity to shed bad habits and learn new ones. More often than not, we are invariably disappointed as we see our resolutions fade after just a few weeks. We chastise ourselves for not having more willpower. We wonder why, year after year, our efforts are thwarted by tight schedules, family responsibilities, illness, and other distractions. And so the cycle repeats itself every year.

But there are a few New Year’s resolutions that are worth making each and every year. Those are the ones that require little effort on our part, but which yield big rewards in terms of more knowledge, better health, and what we call “conscious consumerism.”

What is “conscious consumerism”, anyway?

According to the Network for Business Sustainability, a conscious consumer purchases products or services that are produced in a more socially and/or environmentally responsible way. Surveys show that most consumers would like to consider themselves “conscious consumers”, but they may not know where to start.

So what does this have to do with our New Year’s resolutions? Here are a few ideas:

1) Learn to read labels.If you’re accustomed to reading your food labels, this may sound easy, but personal care labels are not like food labels (as complicated as those might be sometimes). Cosmetic manufacturers may only use the INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) names, which leaves consumers wondering what these ingredients actually are. Most, however, will also include the common names in parentheses. These are generally familiar to us (like oils, butter, alcohols, and essential oils). The Consolidated Label website has a few good articles that help to decipher the mysteries of label-reading when it comes to personal care products. In addition to ingredients, many symbols like the Leaping Bunny or the Certified Organic label are used by companies to GMO-free, etc.

2) Know what the ingredients do. This may not be as easy as it sounds, given the dozens of ingredients used in personal care products. It would impossible for us to be familiar with the thousands of ingredients on the market today. Even more difficult is knowing which of them actually cause potential harm. Consumers can find information by going to the Environmental Working Group’s website. Not only do they print useful pocket guides, but their database lists many commonly used personal care products and levels of toxicity for the ingredients that they contain. You may have heard of the common culprits – parabens, phthalates, triclosan, BPA, sulfates, formaldehyde, toluene, and others. Studies on umbilical cord blood have found sometimes higher levels of industrial chemicals in the blood there than in their mother’s blood. “Body burden” – the study of chemicals stored in the human body and their composition – has also been studied. You can read about Bill Moyer’s body burden test by visiting this article on the PBS website. Between 40 and 60% of what we put on our bodies is absorbed into our blood stream or stored in our fat cells, never to leave our bodies. This accumulation can spell trouble if what we’re being exposed to has negative side effects.

3) Don’t keep personal care products for long periods of time. Many of our products have numbers stamped on them which indicate their shelf life. Regardless, however, products that touch your eyes should be replaced every few months. If a product has changed color or if it has a strange odor, throw it out. Naturally derived products, in particular, which do not use parabens can be refrigerated or labeled so that they don’t sit for longer than 6 months-1 year. If in doubt, throw it out! Alternatively, small jars/bottles will be used up more quickly.

4) Simplify your personal care routine. These days, many men and women are tempted to try the latest personal care “system” with multiple products for face, body, hair, etc. Use them if you must, but be sure to follow 1 and 2 above! Keep in mind that you can also find products that are multi-purpose, like our body balms. Not only are the ingredients identifiable, but they can be used from head to toe, on all family members, and year-round. This can save valuable time and money at a time when you’re looking to limit the number of potentially harmful products coming into your home. In that way, you can purchase products targeting specific problems only when you need them.

5) As questions. Responsible companies will welcome any questions regarding their products, their ingredients, or how they are sourced. For example, ingredients and products coming from China MUST be tested on animals. It may not be obvious from a label whether or not a product is manufactured in the USA or abroad. And with all of the companies being bought up by multinational corporations, it’s more important than ever to find out if this means that the formulas have been changed or if a product is no longer vegan or cruelty-free.

By taking just a few steps towards making more enlightened purchases, we can go a long way towards providing cleaner, safer, and simpler personal solutions for ourselves and our family members. We can’t think of a better New Year’s resolution than that.

References:
Network for Business Sustainability; Conscious Consumerism article
Consolidated Label webpage label reading articles