Little people can get itchy, and dry, and rashy. So they need skin care that’s not only non-irritating, but enormously nourishing and calming.
How? By leaving out chemical irritants like silicones, PEGs, mineral oils, petrolatum, parabens, GMOs or synthetic colours. And utilising as many natural soothing, regenerative oils and butters as possible.
Here’s the stuff we don’t use, and why...
Silicones
These slippery, synthetic polymers might make skin look smooth, but they’re not actually doing any useful hydrating or nourishing work. (Slackers!) As synthetic fillers, silicones create a film on the skin, which can clog pores and cause dehydration.
And given that they are a 'barrier', they can also slow down the natural skin cell renewal process and stop moisture getting into the skin. Especially not great for tricky, inflamed little bodies.
Parabens
A group of chemicals used as preservatives, parabens are used in food, cosmetics and therapeutic products to keep them fresh and bacteria-free. Sounds terrific! No-one likes bacteria!
But since sensitive, allergy-prone skin can react to parabens (and very cute, new skin is already easily-irritated), it’s best to avoid them.
PEGs (Polyethylene Glycol)
A mix of compounds and polymers, PEGs are used as emulsifiers or emollients, or to keep ingredients stable. PEGs themselves aren’t bad guys, but since they enhance absorption of other ingredients, they could be fast-tracking chemical undesirables into your kid’s skin.
Sulfates (SLS/SLES)
Sulfates are cleansing agents that get rid of dirt and oil, and make things all foamy. They are known to be extremely drying, and also have a rep for being skin and eye irritants. Ick. So instead, we use only natural surfactants that don’t contain sulfates or PEGs to create mountains of suds!
Petroleum And Mineral Oils
Petroleum derivatives coat the skin, but they do nothing to nourish it. And since they act like cling wrap on the skin, they inhibit the skin’s ability to excrete toxins. We use natural and nourishing oils like olive, coconut, jojoba and sweet almond instead.
Synthetic Colours
Synthetic colours make products look nice, but they have zero skin care benefits. In fact, they can cause skin sensitivity and irritation.
GMOs
GMOs for short (or ‘genetically modified organisms’ for long) are described by the World Health Organisation as “organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in such a way that does not occur naturally”.
The problem with using GMOs in skin care, is that we don’t have enough long-term studies to know how/if they will affect our health.
Slime
That stuff gets everywhere.
Does leaving this stuff out make it much trickier for our formulators? Yes! Does that mean it takes waaaay longer to get right? You betcha! But do we reckon it’s worth it to make skin care that’s gentle, safe and worry-free? Abso-friggen-lutely.
Comments