Ingredients Blacklist

There’s a few ingredient type you won’t find in Beachology products.

Here’s the rundown of ingredients on the blacklist:

No PEGs

PEGs or Polyethylene Glycols in skincare help to:

• smooth and soften the skin’s surface
• stabilise the product
• improve the penetration of active ingredients

PEGs are safe cosmetic ingredients according to the US Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel and EU Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety. And there are loads of different types, found in thousands of products used by millions of us everyday.

But there’s NO PEGs in Beachology skincare products because they’re made from petroleum derivatives. In other words they are:

*not natural*

+ not sustainable

+ economically supporting ethically cloudy  regimes and corporates

= not sensible.

There are other skin, sand and sea friendly ingredients that do the same things PEGs do (just not as cheaply right now, which is why PEGs are more widely used).

For a useful explanation of PEGs and possible 1,4 dioxane contamination check this article from the David Suzuki Foundation

NO ‘eths & Polysorbates

An ‘eth in an ingredient name, like the E in PEG, indicates ethylene is used in the ingredient’s synthesis. So we don’t use ‘eths for the same reasons we don’t use PEGs. We skip polysorbate ingredients too. While ethylene is not part of their name, it’s still used in their creation.

Examples of ‘eth ingredients include Sodium Laureth Sulphate and Ceteareth 20.

For more, check out another useful article about ethylene ingredients by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

NO Parabens & Hormone Disrupters

Parabens are common cosmetic preservatives and possible hormone disrupters. In scientific lingo, hormone/endrocrine disrupters are exogenous substances that alter the functions of the endocrine system and consequently cause adverse health effects.

In my lingo,  hormone disrupters are lying, cheating, fake hormones. Our cells don’t seem to recognise their trump tendencies. As a result these fakers can upset our natural hormone balance. They’ve been linked to a raft of health issues from endometriosis, to obesity, hormonal cancers and even man boobs.

A lot of cosmetic scientists love the effectiveness, ease and economy of parabens. They say the aversion to parabens is misguided due the negligible endocrine disrupting influence shown in some studies, and because parabens can be found naturally in fruit and veg like  blueberries, olives and carrots. They argue that parabens are great at their job and keep products safe.

Fair enough…. if you only look at the paraben problem from a very narrow perspective… it might seem overblown. But I reckon some people are missing the big picture.

Hormone disrupters surround us. They’re unavoidable in our modern world. They’re not just in paraben-preserved cosmetics; they’re in plastic-bottled drinks, tinned foods, chairs, carpets, sunscreens, chicken curries, and sooooooo much more.

Nearly 800 chemicals were found to have endocrine effects according to an article in the British Medical Journal. Considered in isolation each may have a negligible impact.

But what about the cumulative impact? There are no known hormones disrupters in Beachology skincare.

For the balanced view of a cosmetic chemist check this post on Colin’s Beauty Pages.

For a brief summary of the paraben issue see this from Health Canada.

NO Palm Oil

Palm oil can be found in loads of cosmetic and food products (up to 70% according to one estimate). It’s versatile, cheap and the basis for most emulsifiers and surfactants found in standard moisturisers and cleansers. It’s not necessarily bad for skin (depending on what ingredient the oil has been synthesised into) but it tends to be pretty bad for Malaysian and Indonesian forests.

These forests are being cleared to make way for unsustainable palm plantations, which is very very bad for the orangutans and other animals that live in them.

Beachology products don’t use classic emulsifiers and surfactants, and as a result are palm free.

NO Silicones

Silicones feel great. They make products glide beautifully over skin and hair, and they have a lovely smoothing effect on both. But that’s really all they do. They lack nutrition.

On our skin, silicones seem to be generally benign but there’s growing evidence that silicones are malignant to the environment. Canada has led the charge in banning common silicones due to  impacts on marine life.

There’s also some evidence that silicones are hormone disrupters, and recently they’ve been identified as a big contributor to air pollution.

Since silicones only feel good, have no beneficial impact on the skin, but a possible detrimental impact on the environment and our health, they’re on the black list.

For a summary, there’s Health Canada.

And a wrap-up from the David Suzuki Organisation.

NO Fake fragrance

Beachology formulations are minimalist, pared back and tend towards multi-tasking ingredients that naturally do a few great things at once – eg, preservatives that moisturise, humectants that preserve, gelling agents that also protect. Less fuss and fancy reduces the chances of irritation.

Most of Beachology skincare products are naturally scented by lovely extracts and natural oils like: vanilla, cucumber and coconut. These naturally aromatic ingredients treat your skin and your senses at the same time.

NO Phthalates

Mostly used in cosmetics to make synthetic fragrances smell better and nail polish dry smoother, phthalates are thought to be hormone disrupters and toxic to the marine environment… ’nuff said.

Research on ingredients and their impact on the environment and our health is ongoing. As information is updated, we’ll update this list and our formulations.