NO NASTIES PROMISE

Our No Nasties Promise is a list of ingredients that we will never use in our products. This includes synthetic fragrance, denatured alcohol and the over 1,400 chemicals banned or restricted for use in personal care products in the European Union plus additional chemicals screened by Vahy and found to be of concern.

Below is our No Nasties list along with an indication of what these ingredients have been associated with:

INGREDIENTS

USED FOR

 FOUND IN

ASSOCIATED WITH

Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate (ALS)

Surfactant

Shampoos, bath products, hair colour, makeup, deodorants, perfumes and shaving preparations

Carcinogens, neurotoxicity, organ toxicity, skin irritation and endocrine disruption

Animal by-products

Certain fragrance notes

Perfume

Cruelty to our furry friends

Benzalkonium Chloride

Disinfectant and preservative

Sunscreens and moisturisers

Skin, eye and respiratory irritation and allergies

Benzophenone-1, Benzophenone-2

Preventing UV light from damaging scents and colours

Perfumes, soaps, lip balm, shampoo, moisturisers 

Hormone disruption, irritation and carcinogens

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT)

Preservative

Perfume, lipsticks, deodorants, makeup

Hormone disruption, irritation and carcinogens

Butoxyethanol

Surfactant

Perfume, hair products, nail products

Irritation, organ toxicity, carcinogen and hormone disruption

Coal Tar

Colourant 

Hair dye, shampoo, lotions

Carcinogens

Denatured Alcohol (Alcohol Denat)

Alcohol with one or more toxic chemicals added to it to make it unfit for consumption

The main ingredient in most perfumes

Irritation, skin toxicity, hormone disruption, neurotoxicity

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)

Binding agent for product stability

Hair colour, moisturisers.

Enhances penetration into the skin so other chemicals may enter your system 

Ethanolamines (MEA/DEA/TEA)

Surfactants and pH adjuster

Perfumes, hair dyes, makeup, sunscreens, paint, pharmaceuticals

Irritation, organ toxicity, carcinogen and hormone disruption 

Diazolidinyl urea, DMDM hydantoin, Imidazolidinyl urea

Preservative antimicrobial

Makeup, aftershave, hair and skin products

Releasing formaldehyde, carcinogens, asthma, neurotoxicity and developmental toxicity

Formaldehyde

Preservative antimicrobial

Shampoo, body wash, bubble bath, hair gel

Carcinogens, asthma, neurotoxicity and developmental toxicity

Hydroquinone

Skin-lightening chemical

Skin cleansers, moisturisers, hair conditioners

Carcinogens, organ toxicity, and respiratory tract irritation

Methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone

Preservative 

Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion

Allergies, inhalation toxicity and possible neurotoxicity

Methyl Cellosolve, 2-Methoxyethanol

Solvent or for fragrance

Fragrances, creams, moisturisers, serums

Skin irritation, neurotoxicity, developmental toxicity

Mineral Oil, Petroleum, Petrolatum

Barrier to skin

Moisturisers, cosmetics, hair products

Carcinogens, organ toxicity, irritation, allergen

Nitro Musks and Polycyclic Musk

Synthetic substitute for macrocylic musks

Perfume

Skin allergies, hormone disruption, developmental toxicity

Oxybenzone

Ultraviolet light absorber and stabiliser

Sunscreen, moisturiser

Irritation, allergies, hormone disruption

Parabens (methyl-, isobutyl-, propyl- and others)

Preservative antimicrobial

Beauty, hair and body care

Hormone disruption

Parfum or fragrance (undefined chemicals labelled as this)

Scent and represent an undisclosed mixture of various chemicals (can be up to 3,059 different compounds)

Most perfumes, cosmetics, body and hair care products

Allergies, dermatitis, respiratory distress, hormone disruption, carcinogens, neurotoxicity

Paraffins (petroleum based wax)

Binding agent and emulsifier

Moisturisers and cosmetics

Allergies, dermatitis, carcinogens

Phthalates (DBP, DEHP, DEP and others)

Plasticizing chemicals used to make products more pliable or to make fragrances stick to skin

Most synthetic fragrance, nail polish, hairspray, plastic materials.

Hormone disrupters, developmental and reproductive toxicity, carcinogens

Polypropyl alcohol and Isopropyl alcohol

Rubbing or base alcohol 

Fragrances 

Neurotoxicity, respiratory distress 

Polyethylene glycol (PEG compounds)

Thickeners, solvents, softeners, and moisture-carriers

Creams, sunscreen, shampoo.

Carcinogens, developmental and reproductive toxicity

Quaternium-15

Preservative

Skin lotions, makeup, shampoos

Allergies, asthma, neurotoxicity

Resorcinol

Fragrance, colourant

Hair dye, skin care products 

Hormone disrupters, irritation, organ toxicity, carcinogens

Retinol

Anti-aging chemical 

Cosmetics, moisturisers, sunscreen

Dermatitis, developmental and reproductive toxicity

Silicones

Barriers to the skin which can cause dehydration

Cosmetics, moisturisers, hair products

Skin irritation

Sodium hydroxymethylglycinate

Preservative antimicrobial

Cosmetics, skin care products

Skin irritation, organ toxicity

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS and SLES)

Surfactants

Perfume, shampoo, body wash, bath products, deodorant

Skin irritation, allergies. Some products containing SLES contain traces of 1,4-dioxane which is a possible carcinogen 

Synthetic colours 

Change the colour but do not have any enhancing properties

Perfume, body wash, skin care

Allergies

Synthetic fragrance

Synthetic perfumes can contain any combination of 3,059 stock chemical ingredients

Perfumes

Hormone disrupters, allergies 

Toluene (petrochemical)

Solvent  

Nail polish

Developmental and reproductive toxicity

Triclosan and Triclocarban

Antimicrobial pesticides 

Liquid soap, soap bars, toothpaste. deodorant

Hormone disrupters

Thimerosal (heavy metal)

Preservative

Makeup, moisturiser, toothpaste

Hormone disrupters, allergies, developmental and reproductive toxicity

 

 

For more comprehensive details on what certain ingredients are associated with, we recommend you visit www.safecosmetics.org and www.ewg.org.