Our commitment to bring you high quality products with higher standards stems from our passion of educating our consumers about all the chemicals that are currently in the products they use in their daily routine. Take a look at the ingredient lists on your favourite shampoo, body lotion, lipstick, and foundation. If you see any of the ingredients on our “Ditch These Ingredients” list, ditch the product too! Our skin is our largest organ and what we put on it, we’re also putting in it. Or if you’re not quite up for the heavy reading here’s a quick video from one of our founders:
| Chemical | Found In | Reason to Ditch |
| Alcohol denat | Oily skin treatment, oily hair treatment, fragrances, antibacterial handwash | Used as a solvent that dissolves the natural moisture layer on the skin leaving your skin more susceptible to bacteria and viruses. |
| Aluminum | Deodorant, makeup | Aluminum powder is used in makeup as a colourant and aluminum salts are used in antiperspirants. Can cause breast cancer due to the oestrogen mimicking, neurotoxicity and dementia. |
| Benzoyl Peroxide | Facial skincare, acne treatment | Can cause skin irritation, respiratory irritation, and contact dermatitis. |
| Coal tar & lake dye (colourants FD&C and D&C derived from coal tar) | Shampoo and conditioner, eczema treatment | Used in dry skin treatment and as a colourant in hair dyes and can cause cancer. Banned in the European Union. |
| Cocamide DEA | Shampoos, face and body washes, bubble bath, hair relaxer | Used as emulsifiers and foam boosters, can cause skin irritation, allergies, respiratory toxin and cancer when it comes in contact with nitrates. |
| DEA/TEA/MEA (Diethanolamine, triethanolamine, monoethanolamine) | Shampoos, face and body washes | Used as emulsifiers and solvents, can cause allergies, dryness of the skin and hair. |
| Dizolidinyl urea and imidazolidinyl urea (look for Germal 2 and 115) | Facial skincare, sunscreen, hair products, acne treatment | Used as preservative and can cause contact dermatitis and release formaldehyde. |
| Ethoxylated surfactants and 1,4-dioxane | Body washes, hand soap, shampoo, bubble bath, exfoliant | Used in household cleaners, laundry products, and cosmetics as emulsifiers and foaming agent. |
| Fragrance/parfum | Everything, not just your perfume. | Can hide over 200 chemicals behind this catch all ingredient and is allowable for proprietary purposes (even hiding some of these ingredients in this list). If you want a scent, look for essential oils! |
| Formaldehyde (formalin, formic aldehyde, oxomethane, methanal) | Hair dyes, styling gel/cream, sunscreen, nail treatment. | Used as a disinfectant and in household products and is a suspected carcinogen. Toxic through skin absorption and is readily absorbed through the skin. Banned in the EU. |
| Hydroquinone (1,4-benzenediol, 4-hydroxyphenol, p-hydroxyphenol) | Skin lightening treatments, creams. | Used as a skin lightening and fragrance, can decrease the skin’s natural melanin and increase sun sensitivity. Banned in the UK. |
| Lead | Lipstick | Traces of lead can be found as a contaminant but is never listed as ingredient! |
| Mineral Oil (paraffinum liquidum) | Skincare products, makeup, bath oils, baby oil | By product of petroleum used as an emollient can cause cancer, sun sensitivity, and promote acne (trap dirt). |
| Benzophenones (Oxybenzone, benzophenone-3, dixoxybenzone, sulisobenzone, benzoyl-5, 5-methoxyphenol, solaquin) | Fragrance, hair products, sunscreens, lip products | Used as penetration enhances and sunscreen agent, can cause hormone disruption, allergies, hypersensitivity, cell damage, and low birth weight. |
| Parabens (look for ending with “paraben” as well as propyl ester, benzoic acid) | Everything! Deodorants, shaving creams, body washes | Used as a preservative and has the ability to bioaccumulate, to the point where it can be found in breast tissue in women with breast cancer. Also can cause hormone disruption, reproductive toxicity, immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity, dermatitis. |
| Petrolatum (petroleum jelly) | Lip products, hair relaxer, creams. | Used as an emolient, can cause allergies and damage skins natural oils. |
| Petroleum distillates | Lip products, foundations, eyeshadow and mascaras | Used as solvents and can cause inflammatory autoimmune disorders, neurotoxicity, and respiratory toxicity. |
| Phthalates | Makeup products, nail polish, fragrances, lotions, shampoos | Used as a plasticizer and is linked to reproductive toxicity. Usually hidden behind the ingredient Fragrance/Parfum. Banned in the EU. |
| Placental extract | Facial skincare and hair products. | Can cause hormone disruption |
| Polyethylene glycol (PEG) (propylene glycol (PG) and polypropylene glycol (PPG)) | Facial skincare, hair products, makeup. | Used as surfactants, solvents, and humectants. Can be contaminated with ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane which can cause cancer, reproductive toxicity, and contact dermatitis. Readily absorbed through the skin. |
| PVP or VA copolymer | Hair products, makeup. | Used as a binder and a film-former and can cause hormone disruption and lung disease. |
| Sodium lauryl (ether) sulfate (SLS, SLES) ( sodium dodecyl sulfate, PEG (1,4) lauryl ether sulfate, sodium salt, sulfuric acid, monododecyl ester, sodium PEG lauryl ether sulfate, and sodium dodecyl sulfate) | Shampoos, bodywashes, foaming facewash, soap, bubble bath | Used as a detergent, surfectant, and a foaming agent. Can cause skin irritation, contact dermatitis and damages the outer layer of the skin. |
| Talc (magnesium silicate, talcum powder) | Baby powders, makeup, deodorant. | Can cause skin and respiratory irritation and ovarian cancer. |
| Toluene | Nail products | Used as a solvent and can cause skin and respiratory irritation, and neurotoxicity. Also can hide behind the ingredient Fragrance/Parfum. |
| Triclosan or brand Microban | Soap, hand sanitizers, facial skincare, and deodorants. | Used as an antimicrobial agent and has the ability to bioaccumulate, can cause hormone disruption, skin and respiratory irritation, and cancer. |