We do a lot of research into our formulations - always choosing the most natural and high quality ingredients sourced from local Australian suppliers. We love to share information on the natural ingredients within our products, however it is just as important to share those ingredients in which we avoid and why.
The first ingredient we would like to discuss are a group of chemicals derived from petroleum oil called sulphates. Sulphates are surfactants (foaming agents), detergents, and emulsifiers (product stabilisers) often found in cosmetics and commercial home cleaning products. One of the most common is sodium laurel sulphate (SLS), often found in shampoo, body wash, cleansers and hand wash - the ingredient that gives these products their foamy, bubbly consistency. SLS is a known skin irritant - stripping the skin of its natural oils causing dryness, irritation and inflammatory skin reactions such as eczema and dermatitis. There has been growing public concern over the use of SLS in body products and their negative affect on the skin, giving rise to the creation of a gentler alternative known as sodium laureth sulphate (SLES). SLES is created by putting SLS through a highly chemical process called ethoxylation and an unwanted by-product of this process is 1, 4-dioxane - a toxic contaminant and likely carcinogen. Independent testing by The Environmental Working Group (EWG) found this contaminant in 46% of products tested.
A second reason to avoid sulphates is the effect they have on our environment as they are suspected to be an environmental toxin.
More information on SLS and SLES can be found via the EWG and SLS-free.
It can often be difficult to determine whether the products you are using contain SLS or SLES as there are many names used for these two ingredients. Some of the common ones to avoid are; sodium laurel sulphate, sodium laureth sulphate, sodium dodecyl sulphate, sodium coco sulphate, sulfuric acid monododecyl ester sodium salt, sodium salt, hydrogen sulphate, dodecyl alcohol, sodium dodecanesulphate, and sodium monododecyl sulphate.
We don’t use SLS, SLES or any sulphates in our products. We use natural, completely plant-based surfactants (foaming agents) like decyl glucoside and coco glucoside. They don’t foam quite as well but they are much safer for you and the planet.
