This page is to help guide you through the list of ingredients you may find in our products. When possible, I will place company specific guides through ingredients, such as Ikove and Logona (below), and will also try to address specific ingredients they do not discuss. We avoid alarmist reactions to all ingredients. I am just as concerned about your health as I am about my own, and the people I love (who will, without a doubt, receive products from me). We are continually researching ingredients. If we find a product uses a potentially harmful ingredient, which we did not know about or just got by us, we will pull it from our store. We hope you will accept our apologies, and we welcome your feedback.

What We Allow...

Below is a list ingredients that some responsible manufacturers choose to avoid in their products, while others do not. It is our current opinion that these ingredients may be safely used. Of course, we will watch for new research.

• Cocamidopropyl betaine: A "semi-synthetic" ingredient, derived from natural sources such as coconut oil. It is used as a surfactant in bath products like shampoos and hand soaps, and in cosmetics as an emulsifying agent and thickener. It helps to make shampoos and gels lather a lot. Note that this has been found in a few studies to cause allergic responses on the skin, but most products use this in small amounts.
  


• Tocopherol Acetate: Derived from pure vitamin E (tocopherol) and is sometimes used instead of tocopherol because the phenolic hydroxyl group of the natural tocopherol is blocked, providing a less acidic product. Scientists have found that the acetate is converted to d-alpha-tocopherol, which then is hydrolyzed (broken down with water) upon absorption into the skin, regenerating natural tocopherol, and providing protection against the sun's ultraviolet rays.

What We Don't...

• Parabens: methyl or propylparaben, in particular. These are preservatives that may be linked to breast cancer.


• Phthalates (diethyl phthalate, for example): These are used as plasticizers in product packaging and are commonly included in what is listed on many products as "fragrance". They are suspected of being carcinogenic and hormone disruptors. Our companies make sure their products are free of phthalates.


• Diazolidinyl urea, or any related ingredient, like Imidazolidinyl Urea: Because it is known to be a formaldehyde releaser, and formaldehyde is strongly believed to cause cancer (carcinogenic)


• Sodium laureth or laurel sulfates


• Talc: has been linked to ovarian cancer. See Cancer Prevention Coalition