The Ingredients we use in our handmade soaps and skincare

• When we label cosmetics and soap we have to stick to strict guidelines set down by the EU navigating the labyrinth of soap and skincare labels is a bit of a nightmare, so...to make things clearer here is a small explanation of the ingredients we use.
• Our products are fully certified by a qualified cosmetic chemist 

Aqua Spring Water from our own clear super filtered spring. UV treated. 
Butyrospermum parkii Shea butter from West Africa, prized for it's super moisturising qualities. 
Bicarbonate of Soda Baking soda. 
Carthamus tinctorius Thistle oil, particularly high in Omega 6. Good for oily skin, large pores and all skin conditions.Cera Alba Organic Beeswax 
Cetyl alcohol Is used as a stabiliser for the emulsifiers and is made from Palm Kernel Oil Fatty Acid. 
Citric acid Weak acid found in all living organisms...used with bicarb to make things fizz!
Cocos Nucifera Coconut oil, gives soap it's fluffy bubbles and helps it lather in hard water.
Elais guineensis Palm oil, helps soap clean and makes a harder longer lasting bar.
Emulsifiers Glyceryl Stearate and Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, which are sourced from Coconut and Palm oils.
*Essential Oils Natural fragrant oils obtained from plants (see note below)
Glyceryl Stearate Emulsifier - Mono diglycerides of fatty acids (E471) based on Sustainable Palm oil from Malaysia, Indonesia, Columbia or Papau New Guinea
Glycine Soja Soya oil is high in lecithin and Vitamin E.
Maris sal Certified organic Sea salt.
Magnesium sulfate Epsom salts.
Olea europea Olive oil, a good skin conditioner, makes soap more moisturising.
Argania spinosa Organic Argan Oil Rich in plant sterols and natural vitamin E, it is widely believed to have anti ageing properties. 
Parfum This is not an ingredient in itself it has to be listed immediately before whatever fragrance compound is in the product ie "Parfum: Essential oils"  I do on occasion use high quality allergen free fragrance oil. 
Prunus dulcis Sweet Almond oil.
Preservatives (Paraben Free) We use a new, innovative, more natural formulation. It contains a blend of ethylhexylglycerin (derived from vegetable glycerine) which affects the interfacial tension at the cell membranes of micro-organisms thus improving the preservative activity of the other ingredient phenoxyethanol (made from sage essential oil) This blend a has a broad-spectrum effect on bacteria, yeasts, and moulds.
Ricinis communis Castor oil, makes soap really creamy and is a fabulous moisturiser.
Sodium stearoyl lactate  Emulsifier - Sodium Stearoyl-2-lactylate (E481) based on Sustainable Palm oil from from Malaysia or Indonesia and Rapeseed oil from the EU. The Lactic acid used is produced by non-gm bacterial fermentation of sugar beets from the EU. The Rapeseed Oil used is non gm. 
Theobroma cacao Cocoa butter a superb moisturiser.
Tocopherol is natural vitamin E. A natural antioxidant has an anti ageing effect on the skin.

*Note...

The law now dictates that the constituents of essential oils that could be a potential allergen have to be listed separately on the label if they reach a certain percentage in cosmetic preparations...to be on the safe side we list them all as they appear in each recipe regardless of whether they reach the percentage or not. What you see on the label below is..."Parfum: Essential Oils (contain the active ingredients coumarin, geraniol, limonene, linalool)" These are the aroma constituents found in Lavender oil and not ingredients in themselves...they are in most essential oils! Each oil is different and some need no extra labelling at all. Some oils are restricted to a maximum percentage that you are allowed to use and we will never exceed that amount.

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