our ingredients

All our products are formulated to be high performance without any of the nasties. This is the what and why of everything in our products, so you know exactly what you're using

Acrylates Copolymer

What it does:

Viscosity Controlling

All functions:

Antistatic, Binding, Film Forming

A big polymer molecule that has a bunch of different versions and thus different uses. It can act as a film former, as a thickening agent, or it can increase the water-resistance. It is also used to entrap pigments within a micron size matrix for even coverage and easy application.

Amodimethicone

What it does:

Emollient

All functions:

Antistatic, Hair conditioning

A modified dimethicone-type silicone molecule that also contains amino-groups. Having amino-groups means that Amodimethicone also has Nitrogen in its molecule that likes to have a positive charge. Positively charged (or quaternised) molecules are substantive to skin and hair as those are negatively charged surfaces and are excellent film formers. Amodimethicone is no exception and it is especially recommended for hair-care products for its long-lasting hair conditioning benefits. Positively charged ions repel each other, As a result these silicone proteins cannot layer on top of each other, continuing to build up. This makes Amodimethicone temporary on the hair fibre and reduces friction between the hair fibres preventing direct damage to the hair whilst styling.

Behentrimonium Methosulfate

What it does:

Surfactant/cleansing

In itself, it's an antistatic (stops your hair from flying around because of electricity), hair conditioning and softening ingredient used mainly in haircare products.

Coupled with Cetearyl Alcohol, they form an easy to handle, super stable emulsifier duo that has exceptional spreadability and gives a pleasant final touch to the products.

Benzyl Alcohol

What it does:

Preservative, Perfuming, Solvent, Viscosity Controlling

All functions:

Bulking, Masking, Preservative

An EcoCert approved, natural preservative that counts as gentle and non-irritating to the skin. Usually, it comes to the formula as part of a preservative blend as it's not enough on its own.

C11-15 Pareth-7

What it does:

Emulsifying, Surfactant/cleansing

All functions:

Emulsifying, Surfactant

It is a moderate molecular weight polyethylene glycol ether of a mixture of synthetic fatty alcohols with ethylene oxide. It is used as an emulsifier. It is mainly used in hair care, sometimes in a micro-fine size to obtain the desired results. It is also used as a conditioning agent. C11-15 pareth-7 is considered non-sensitizing and safe for skin and hair products when used in normal concentrations.

Caesalpinia Spinosa Fruit Extract

What it does:

Hair Protecting

All functions:

Hair Protecting

Caesalpinia spinosa fruit extract is the extract of the fruit of caesalpinia spinosa, fabaceae.

It has powerful antioxidant properties, conditioning and film forming effects.

Caprylyl-Capryl Glucoside50CE

What it does:

Surfactant

All functions:

Antistatic, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Foam Boosting

This is simply a safe and EcoCert approved alternative to regular sulfates, which are typically used in cleansers and shampoos to make the products foam up. It aids in the production of rich foam for personal care products that is stable, easy to rinse off, and has highly mild and irritant-reducing characteristics. This ingredient is completely biodegradable due to the use of natural raw materials such as plant starch and fatty alcohols. Considered as a green ingredient for many personal care products.

​Capryl Glucoside

What it does:

Surfactant/cleansing

All functions:

Cleansing, Foaming, Surfactant

Non-ionic surfactant belonging to the family of alkyl polyglucosides. This ingredient's total biodegradability is ensured by plant starch, fatty alcohols and natural raw materials. For personal care products, it offers rich foam with good stability and easy to rinse-off property, combined with very mild and irritation reducing characteristics. Provides good solubility in concentrated alkali, salt and surfactant solutions. Considered as a green ingredient for many personal care products

Caprylyl Glycol

What it does:

Moisturiser/humectant, Emollient, Deodorant

All functions:

Deodorant, Emillient, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning

Caprylyl glycol is the diol that conforms to the formula. It’s a handy multi-tasking ingredient that gives the hair a nice, soft feel. At the same time, it also boosts the effectiveness of other preservatives.

Cetearyl Alcohol

What it does:

Emollient, Viscosity controlling, Emulsifying, Surfactant/cleansing, Emulsion stabilising

An extremely common multitasker ingredient that gives your skin and hair a nice soft feel (emollient) and gives body. It also helps to stabilize oil-water mixes .

It’s a so-called fatty alcohol, a mix of cetyl and stearyl alcohol, other two emollient fatty alcohols. Fatty alcohols have a long oil-soluble (and thus emollient) part that makes them absolutely non-drying and non-irritating and are totally ok for the skin and hair.

Cetyl Alcohol

What it does:

Emollient, Viscosity controlling, Emulsion stabilising

A so-called fatty (the good, non-drying kind of) alcohol that does all kinds of things in a skincare product: it makes your skin feel smooth and nice (emollient), helps to thicken up products and helps water and oil to blend (emulsifier). Can be derived from coconut or palm kernel oil.

Citric Acid

What it does:

Buffering

All functions:

Buffering, Chelating, Masking

Citric acid comes from citrus fruits and is an AHA. Citric acid helps lower the pH in many products, such as shampoo, that have much higher, more alkaline pH levels. This helps keep hair at healthy pH levels, which improves the hair's appearance and manageability by reducing frizz.

CI60730

What it does:

Colourant

All functions:

Pigments formula, Colourant for Hair Product

CI60730 acts as a violet colouring pigment. It offers high quality, extremely low impurity and consistent tone. We also use it as direct dye to refresh Hair Color and remove yellowness on blond hair and to amplify a cool blond tone.

Cocamide MIPA

What it does:

Surfactant/Cleansing, Viscosity Controlling, Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising

All functions:

Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising, Foam Boosting, Surfactant, Viscocity Controlling

Cocamide MIPA is a mixture of isopropanolamides of coconut acid. Also known as cocamide monoisopropanolamine. It functions as a surfactant, viscosity increasing agent, emulsifier and stabilizer. Market applications are shampoo, hair dye, conditioner, body wash, liquid hand soap.

Cocamidopropyl Betaine

What it does:

Surfactant/cleansing, Viscosity Control

All functions:

Antistatic, Cleansing, Foam Boosting, Hair Conditioning, Surfactant, Viscosity Controling

Super common ingredient in all kinds of cleansing products: face and body washes, shampoos, and foam baths. Number one reason for its popularity has to do with bubbles. Everyone loves bubbles. And cocamidopropyl betaine is great at stabilizing them.

Didecyldimonium Chloride

What it does:

Emulsifying, Surfactant/cleansing

All functions:

Antistatic, Emulsifying, Hair Conditioning, Surfactant

Didecyldimonium chloride is an emulsifier that can also be found in hair conditioners. It helps bind ingredients together and keep a formula from separating. Over time, it is possible for formulas in a product to separate. We add emulsifiers to our products where needed to ensure that products provide the same performance use after use.

Glycerin

What it does:

Skin-identifcal ingredient, Moisturiser/humectant

Glycerin is the polyhydric alcohol that conforms generally to the formula. Glycerin doesn’t sound very glamorous but it is a real oldie but a goodie. It’s been used in cosmetics for more than 50 years and it’s a totally natural ingredient that’s also in the outermost layer of our skin (called stratum corneum - SC). It’s a humectant type of moisturiser meaning that it helps our hair and skin to cling onto water. A 2005 study has shown that glycerin levels correlate with skin hydration levels, so more glycerin means better hydrated skin- so when present in haircare it is an incredible hydration ingredient.

Glyceryl Caprylate

What it does:

Preservative

All functions:

Emollient, Emulsifying

A 100% plant derived, natural (EcoCert approved) multi-functional ingredient that has emollient and moisturizing properties, can work as a co-emulsifier (meaning that next to other emulsifiers it can help water and oil to mix), and even more importantly has a strong antimicrobial activity. Thanks to this, it allows a lower percentage of traditional preservative, or it might even be able to completely replace them.

Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride

What it does:

Viscosity Controlling

All functions:

Viscosity control, Anti-static, Hair conditioning

Guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride is often used as an anti-static agent and hair or skin conditioner; it also increases viscosity. We use guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride as an alternative to harsh silicones, and research shows the ingredient is not a skin irritant or sensitizer.

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

What it does:

Emollient

Helianthus annus seed oil is the oil expressed from the seeds of the sunflower.

Sunflower oil - similar to other plant oils - is a great emollient that makes the skin and hair smooth and nice and helps to keep it hydrated. It's also loaded with fatty acids (mostly linoleic and oleic.

Hydrogenated Sunflower Seed Oil Polyglyceryl-3 Esters

What it does:

Emulsifying, Emulsion stabilising, Skin conditioning, Surfactant

It is biodegradable and offers the flexibility to achieve target viscosity without the use of secondary emulsifiers. It increases formulation stability and contributes to skin and hair emolliency.

Hydrolysed Rice Protein

What it does:

Strengthening, Volumising

All functions:

Antistatic, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning

Hydrolyzed Rice Protein is a water soluble, cosmetic grade vegetable protein rich in amino acids and peptides beneficial to hair and skin. It's a natural alternative to traditional volumizing agents, which helps improve hair manageability, shine and volume. It's also an effective treatment thanks to its strengthening, detangling, shine-enhancing and smoothing properties.

Lactic Acid

What it does:

Exfoliant, Moisturiser/humectant, Buffering

All functions:

Buffering, Humectant, Skin Conditioning

Lactic acid is probably one of oldest actives, about which women have noticed that it has some nice benefits to the skin. Legend has it that in ancient Egypt Cleopatra bathed in sour milk. And yes, you guessed it right: sour milk is a major natural source of lactic acid. Lactic acid can help to reduce dandruff and promote hair growth. Lactic acid can also help to soften and detangle hair, making it more manageable. In addition, lactic acid can help to protect the hair shaft from damage, resulting in shinier, healthier-looking hair.

Laureth-9

What it does:

Emulsifying

All functions:

Emulsifying

Laureth-9 is a Polyethylene Glycol Ether of Lauryl Alcohol with an Ethylene Oxide value of 9. It is used in rinse-off products as an emulsifier and surfactant, most often in shampoos and hair conditioners in concentrations up to 4%. The Environmental Working Group finds Laureth-9 to be a safe ingredient in cosmetics.

Maltodextrin

What it does:

Absorbent/Mattifier, Emulsion Stabilising

All functions:

Absorbent, Binding, Emulsion Stabilising, Film Forming, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning

It's a little helper ingredient coming from corn, rice or potato starch that can help to stabilise emulsions, and to keep the product together (binding).

Methylpropanediol

What it does:

Solvent

All functions:

Solvent

A type of glycol that - according to the manufacturer - is an extremely good replacement for other glycols like propylene or butylene glycol. Its main job is to be a solvent, but it has also very good antimicrobial properties and acts as a true preservative booster. Also helps with hydration without stickiness or tacky feel.

Panthenol

Also called:

Pro-Vitamin B5

What it does:

Soothing, Moisturiser/humectant

All functions:

Antistatic, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning

An easy-to-formulate, commonly used, ingredient that’s also called pro-vitamin B5. As you might guess from the “pro” part, it’s a precursor to vitamin B5 (whose fancy name is pantothenic acid). It is a humectant meaning that it can help the skin and hair to attract water and then hold onto it. As for the hair the hydration effect is there as well as making the hair softer, more elastic and helps to comb your hair more easily.

Parfum/Fragrance

Fragrance was a big thing for us- we love a signature scent and we wanted to create something more elevated than just a regular, run of the mill offering, or something so artificial it could cause reactions. We had deep conversations with our fragrance manufacturer about sensitivity, sustainably sourced ingredients, and naturals versus synthetic or lab created.

As a brand, our gentle fragrances are of low percentages in our formulations to avoid sensitivity as much as possible. We also have fragrance blends of naturals and lab created compounds- this is a conscious choice in sustainability- being acutely aware of how much land destruction and deforestation can happen in the pursuit of all natural only products. Also, from a health and wellness perspective- our fragrance experts really blew our minds in understanding that responsible lab created compounds can result in better impact through the metabolic pathways of the body with less sensitivity than some naturals can. So, like all our formulations- we strive for a balance of sustainable responsibility, performance, and enjoyment with informed, but holistic choices. We’ve landed on some exceptional fragrances that are gentle, consciously crafted and lift your aromatic hair experience.

Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil

What it does:

Antioxidant, Emollient, Moisturizer/humectant

An emollient plant oil coming from the Sacha Inchi plant from the Colombian Amazon. Like other plant oils, it's loaded with nourishing and moisturizing fatty acids. Sacha Inchi Extract conditions, softens, enhances the hair's natural gloss and smoothness, calms inflammation of the scalp, regulates oil production, enhances moisture retention, nourishes, and strengthens the scalp and the strands.

Polyamide-1

What it does:

Film forming

All functions:

Film forming

Film formers are widely used in hair and skin-care products like moisturizers. When applied on the hair or skin, they form a supple, cohesive, and continuous layer. This layer/film has water-binding properties that leave a silky and smooth effect on the hair.

Polyglyceryl-6 Oleate

What it does:

Emulsifying

All functions:

Emulsifying, Hydration

Polyglyceryl-6 Oleate is an ester of oleic acid and Polyglycerin-6. Polyglycerin-6 is obtained through saponification without solvent of vegetable oil (Brassica Campestris Oil and Sunflower Oil) to obtain Glycerol and polymerization of pure vegetable Glycerol. Polyglyceryl-6 oleate is a versatile ingredient whose emollient properties provide hydration and also assist with cleansing. It’s made from an ester of the fatty acid oleic acid combined with a polymer of glycerin known as polyglycerin-6. Being made from both water- and oil-soluble ingredients, allows it to work in different types of emulsions. It is most often used to assist other emulsifiers and surfactants and is noted for its hydrating abilities.

Polyquaternium-47

What it does:

Viscosity Controlling, Emulsion Stabilising

All functions:

Antistatic, Emulsion Stabilising, Hair Conditioning, Viscosity Controlling

All Polyquaterniums provide a positive charge that counteracts the negative charge given by other formulas, such as shampoos. Polyquaternium 47 counteracts the negative charge and provide additional moisture to the hair and skin.

Polyquaternium-80

What it does:

Surfactant/cleansing, Emulsifying

All functions:

Cleansing, Emulsifying, Hair Conditioning

Quaternium-80 is a quat - a cationic surfactant that is water soluble, versatile and used as a conditioning agent and emulsifier for water-insoluble ingredients. It is a silicone emollient made from coconut oil. Quaternium-80 is a lightweight formula that is suitable for daily use.

Potassium Sorbate

What it does:

Preservative

All functions:

Preservative

It's one of those things that help your cosmetics not to go wrong too soon, aka a preservative. It’s not a strong one and doesn’t really work against bacteria, but more against mould and yeast. To do that it has to break down to its active form, sorbic acid. For that to happen, there must be water in the product and the right pH value (pH 3-4).

But even if everything is right, it’s not enough on its own. If you see potassium sorbate you should see some other preservative next to it too.

PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate

What it does:

Emollient, Solvent, UV absorber

An emollient that has a silicone-like feel and multiple functions in cosmetic products. PPG-3 benzyl ether myristate adds shine to hair, improves the spreadability of creams, suspends pigments in makeup, and moisturises skin, among other traits. This ingredient is considered safe and gentle.

Propanediol

Also called:

Zemea

What it does:

Solvent, Moisturiser/humectant

All functions:

Solvent, Moisturiser/humectant

Propanediol is a natural alternative for the often used and often bad-mouthed propylene glycol. It's produced sustainably from corn sugar and it's Ecocert approved.

It's quite a multi-tasker: can be used to improve skin moisturization, as a solvent, to boost preservative efficacy or to influence the sensory properties of the end formula.

Quaternium-91

What it does:

Hair conditioning

It is very substantive and forms a smooth, protective film over the hair, and provides anti-static effects, ease of combing and detangling, a silky feel, and high gloss. A hair conditioning quat designed to give formulators a multi-functional ingredient that has been proven to improve conditioning, detangling and hair softness.

Starch Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride

What it does:

Film former

All functions:

Film Forming, Hair Fixing, Conditioning

Provides excellent slip, lubricity and snag-free wet compatibility without excessive buildup. Imparts excellent dry compatibility. Panel studies document excellent hair softness and wet hair feel during washing, rinsing and after rinsing. Helps hold curls without flaking.

Sodium Benzoate

What it does:

Preservative

All functions:

Anticorrosive, Masking, Preservative

A helper ingredient that helps to make the products stay nice longer, aka preservative. It works mainly against fungi. It’s pH dependent and works best at acidic pH levels (3-5). It’s not strong enough to be used by itself so it’s always combined with something else, often with potassium sorbate.

Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate

What it does:

Surfactant/cleansing

All functions:

Cleansing, Foaming, Surfactant

A versatile and biodegradable cleansing agent with high cleaning power and strong foaming properties. It is a safe and excellent surfactant to use, it can be drying on the hair and skin in large amounts, however it is carefully balanced with hydrating ingredients throughout our formulas and used in low amounts.

Sodium Chloride

Also called:

Salt

What it does:

Viscosity Controlling

All functions:

Bulking, Masking Viscosity Controlling

Sodium chloride is the fancy name of salt. Normal, everyday table salt.

If (like us) you are in the weird habit of reading the labels on your products while taking a shower, you might have noticed that sodium chloride is almost always on the ingredient list. The reason for this is that salt acts as a fantastic thickener in cleansing formulas created with ionic cleansing agents (aka surfactants)

Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate

What it does:

Surfactant/cleansing

All functions:

Cleansing, Surfactant

A vegetable based co-surfactant that helps to create mild cleansing formulas.

Sodium Lactate

What it does:

Buffering, Moisturiser/humectant

All functions:

Buffering, Humectant, Keratolytic

The sodium salt of lactic acid. It's a great moisturizer and also used to regulate the pH value of the cosmetic formula. It's a natural ingredient approved by both ECOCERT and COSMOS.

Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate

What it does:

Surfactant/cleansing

All functions:

Cleansing, Surfactant

A very mild cleansing agent with a dense and luxurious foam and an elegant after feel. It also has excellent water solubility and thus good rinsability.

Sodium Hyaluronate

What it does:

Skin-identifcal ingredient, Moisturiser/humectant

All functions:

Humectant, Hair Conditioning

It’s the - sodium form - cousin of the famous NMF, hyaluronic acid (HA). If HA does not tell you anything we have a super detailed, geeky explanation about it here. The TL; DR version of HA is that it's a huge polymer (big molecule) found in the skin that acts as a sponge helping the skin and hair to hold onto water, being plump and elastic. HA is famous for its crazy water holding capacity as it can bind up to 1000 times its own weight in water. As far as ingredients go, sodium hyaluronate and hyaluronic acid are pretty much the same and the two names are used interchangeably. Welcome to the HYDRATION STATION.

Sodium Hydroxide

Also called:

Lye

What it does:

Buffering

All functions:

Buffering Denaturant

The unfancy name for it is lye. It’s a solid white stuff that’s very alkaline and used in small amounts to adjust the pH of the product and make it just right.

For the hair to intake ingredients then also have the cuticle fully closed- the right pH is super-duper important, and pH adjusters like sodium hydroxide are needed. But for those that are wary of lye from other products that can damage hair and skin- for PH balancing- lye is used in extremely small amounts and will not cause any damage to the hair.

Sodium Surfactin

What it does:

Surfactant/cleansing, Emulsifying, Viscosity Controlling

All functions:

Cleaning, Emulsifying, Gel Forming, Surfactant

Sodium surfactin is a peptidelipid composed of amino acids and fatty acids and is produced by the fermentation of bacillus subtilis.

Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate

What it does:

Chelating

All functions:

Chelating

Tetrasodium glutamate diacetate is what's known as a 'chelating agent', an ingredient that inactivates metallic ions (charged particles) in product formulations. Free roaming iron and copper ions in formulations can lead to rapid oxidation, meaning they will spoil quickly. Using a chelating agent helps to slow this process, allowing for the creation of products with improved stability and appearance. This also improves the effectiveness of preservative ingredients, allowing us to use a lower percentage of these, for safer shelf-stable products.

Tocopherol

Also called:

Vitamin E

What it does:

Antioxidant

All functions:

Antioxidant, Masking, Skin Conditioning

Vitamin E is the major fat-soluble antioxidant in our skin. As a strong antioxidant it’s an A-player in protecting the hair from the nasty little things called free-radicals that want to destroy the lovely collagen that makes our skin nice and firm and hair supple. Gives significant photoprotection against UVB rays and has emollient properties. Easy to formulate and stable.

Trideceth-12

What it does:

Emulsifying, Surfactant/cleansing

All functions:

Emulsifying, Surfactant

An ingredient used to keep products from separating. It is seen in a variety of cosmetics and personal care products as both a surfactant, and is known to prevent the build-up of nasty silicones, or counteract other products that build up in hair.

Urea

Also called:

Carbamide

What it does:

Skin-identical ingredient, Moisturiser/humectant

All functions:

Skin-identical ingredient, Moisturiser/humectant

Synthetically derived (through synthesis of Ammonia and carbon dioxide). Urea minimizes the change in the acid/base balance of a product when other ingredients are added to that product. It also slows the loss of moisture from a product during use. When used in the formulation of skin and hair care products, Urea increases the water content of the top layers of the skin and scalp.

Water

What it does:

Solvent

Good old water, aka H2O. The most common skincare ingredient of all. You can usually find it right in the very first spot of the ingredient list, meaning it’s the biggest thing out of all the stuff that makes up the product. It’s mainly a solvent for ingredients that do not like to dissolve in oils but rather in water.