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SLS is a surface-active substance, or surfactant. These are the workhorses of cosmetics and toiletries. Surfactants are made up of an oil-loving “head”, which imbeds into dirt impregnated oil, and water-loving “tail”, which aids in washing the dirt away.
There are three main types of surfactants used in personal care products.
Cleansers
Emulsifiers
Solubilisers
SLS and SLES are primary cleansers. They are usually combined with gentler secondary cleansers. On their own, they are too strong. Both are made from palm oil. However, within the water-loving tail, we find a significant difference between the two.
Both cleansers are made by “sulphating” palm oil. However SLES undergoes a further reaction, to modify its properties. Although making it a little less strong, there are significant drawbacks.
Some chemical reactions result in the formation of toxic impurities. In the case of SLES, this further “ethoxylation” reaction leads to the presence of varying amounts of both unreacted ethylene oxide, and 1,4-dioxane (which forms when two ethylene oxides join). Both of these impurities are toxic, suspected of being carcinogenic, and of major concern to cosmetic safety regulators.
The Purist Company recommends avoiding products containing SLES (or the ammonium equivalent) for reason of the presence of these so-called “objectionable trace impurities”.
SLS should also be avoided, as it is a primary irritant. SLS is used as an irritancy “standard”, against which the irritancy of other chemicals is compared. Pre-treatment of the skin with SLS has been shown to cause the skin to become more susceptible to irritation from other ingredients.
Ammonium lauryl sulfate belongs to the same family of cleansers as SLS, however it has been shown to be even more irritant than SLS.
The first step is to identify your own skin type. If you know your skin type, please refer to the product page and click on any product range on our website and download the easy product selection guide (appears on the left of your screen).
The concentrations of oils in The Purist Company products are safe for use during pregnancy. However to ensure your comfort and peace of mind, we recommend you check with your general medical practitioner.
Eczema is a chronic inflammatory condition of the upper layers of the skin. The most common things that will trigger eczema are allergies, both food and environmental, as well as emotional and physical stress and climatic changes. The three main common features of eczema that distinguish it from other ailments are dry skin, sore rash and itchiness.
For eczema sufferers, The Purist Company recommends products with least irritancy. Whilist we recommend these products, please remember that each person is unique. We advise for very sensitive skins that you use our testers provided in-store to patch test your skin.
Try any of the following:
[Al'chemy] Unscented Very Gentle Shampoo
[Alchemy] Unscented Wheat Free Conditioner or Macadamia & Wheat Protein Treatment Conditioner
[A'kin] Unscented 24 Hour Pure Moisture (Facial Crème)
[A'kin] Unscented Very Gentle Body Wash
[A'kin] Unscented Pure Emergency Gel
[A'kin] Unscented Body Moist
[A'kin] Unscented Hand, Nail & Cuticle Treatment
Propylene glycol is an ingredient used in numerous cosmetics and toiletries. It is also used as a powerful solvent to prevent creams from drying out. Propylene glycol is a petrochemical derivative and has been shown to cause allergies.
Propylene glycol is not used in any products created by The Purist Company.
Parabens are the most commonly used preservative in cosmetic, personal care and toiletry products. Research has shown that parabens mimic the function of the naturally ocurring hormone, estrogen. Parabens are only estrogenic when applied externally, therefore could be of great concern from cosmetics when applied to the skin. On behalf of consumer safety, The Purist Company have taken the additional precaution of avoiding using ingredients which have been preserved with parabens.
The Purist Company do not use what is commonly called alcohol (actual name is ethanol or ethyl alcohol) in any of our formulations. The reference to “alcohol” on our labels refers to the wax alcohols, behenyl alcohol (made from rapeseed oil) or cetearyl alcohol. Cetearyl alcohol is made from various vegetable oils such as palm and coconut. They bear little relation to common alcohol, which is a volatile liquid.
The following products contain small amounts of nut oils to which some people may have an allergy.
[Al’chemy] Jojoba, Light Conditioner
[Al’chemy] Avocado & Calendula Re-Moisturising Conditioner
[Al’chemy] Macadamia & Wheat Protein Treatment Conditioner
[Al’chemy] Unscented, Wheat Free, Very Gentle Conditioner
[A’kin] Rose & Geranium Pure Creamy Cleanser & Toner in One
[A’kin] Rose de Mai, Anti-oxidant Day Crème
[A’kin] Lavender & Rose, Repairing Anti-Oxidant Night Crème
[A’kin] Unscented, 24 Hour Pure Moisture
[A’kin] Lavender & Geranium Body Moist
[A’kin] Unscented, Replenishing Body Moist
[A’kin] Lavender, Geranium & Jojoba Hand Nail & Cuticle Crème
[A’kin] Unscented, Intensive Hand Nail & Cuticle Treatment
Coeliac Disease (gluten-sensitive enteropathy) is a genetically based permanent intolerance to dietary gluten. The Coeliac Society of NSW have confirmed the external application of gluten (such as hydrolysed wheat protein used in [Al’chemy] hair car products) is not a concern for people diagnosed with coeliac disease as gluten must be ingested and reach the small bowel for problems to occur.
All of our formulations are wheat gluten free, with the exception of:
[Al’chemy] Rice Aminos & Wheat Protein, Intensive Moisture Shampoo
[A’lchemy] Jojoba, Light Conditioner, Advocado & Calendula Re-Moisturising Conditioner and Macadamia & Wheat Protein Treatment Conditioners
[Al’chemy] Lavender & Anthyllis, 24-Hour Intensive Moisture Leave-In-Conditioner
[Al’chemy] Ginkgo & Jojoba, Intensive Moisture Vitamin Hair Masque
Our [Al’chemy] and [A’kin] products have a minimum shelf life of 3 years and once opened the products should be used within 12 months.
This article may not be representative of any products
linked or showcased with this article. Please review the product ingredients before
considering purchase
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