Standards & Sustainability





Formulation Philosophy

We formulate with the most sensitive, problem skin in mind using the purest, most effective ingredients from nature & science.
Minimal, bio-compatible & ultra hypoallergenic.
100% natural & organic. Vegan. Halal. Fragrance & toxin free.
All our products contain less than 10 ingredients. Our formulas are biocompatible so they can be metabolised by the skin.
No colours, fragrances, petrochemicals or toxic preservatives. 
Multifunctional, biodegradable products for peace of mind & sustainability.
Formulated with human, species & planetary health in mind.

Natraceutical. A skincare revolution.

We have pioneered a new skincare category: Natraceutical Skincare. It distills the best elements from traditional categories to create a more conscious, effective & clean category for ultra sensitive & problem skin. It is a cross between the words 'natural' & 'cosmeceutical'.

Cosmeceutical brands are typically high in bioactive & clinical ingredients such as vitamins, humectants, antioxidants & botanical extracts. They can contain both natural & synthetic ingredients & are usually marketed to problem or ageing skin. They are usually quite expensive, elaborately packaged, involve complicated routines, countless products & long ingredients lists.
Natural & organic products typically contain over 20 ingredients, many with beneficial properties but a higher chance of potential skin irritation. Many ingredients are used for marketing purposes & fragrances are often used.
Pharmaceutical products are usually petrochemical based, minimal & are less likely to irritate the skin. However the benefits are usually more superficial as petrochemicals can not be metabolised by the skin. Many use ethoxylated emulsifiers which pose health concerns.

We combine rigorous research, understanding of the skin & holistic wellness to 100% natural, minimal, effective formulations. We use the most proven, gentle, quality, bioactive ingredients to combine the best of nature & skin science. We have defined natural to the highest possible standard & don't use the most common irritants such as fragrances, essential oils, alcohol & most food allergens. We are priced more competitively than cosmeceuticals by going direct to consumer & minimising our packaging, without compromising quality. We believe problem skincare should also be beautiful & enjoyable to use. Gone are the large beige tubs.

Natraceutical Skincare is effective, gimmick free, ultra hypoallergenic & all natural. It's the category we always wish existed. It didn't. So we created it.

Sustainability

Intelligent Formulas
Our formulas are biocompatible so any excess product washed down the drain is biodegraded. We don't use toxic chemicals or GMO's. They are also concentrated & designed to support long term skin health, minimising package & shipping waste.
We have formulated some products without water to minimise packaging & shipping. For example we use dried soap berries instead of laundry liquids. Our clay is kept as a powder.

Ethical Suppliers
We source from sustainable, ethical suppliers who do not use GMO's or support animal testing. All ingredients carry a Certificate of Analysis & MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets). 

Recyclable Packaging
We use recyclable or recycled paper & cardboard in all our shipping needs. This includes recycled paper bubble wrap, paper tape, cardboard boxes, biodegradable & FSC/PEFC certified shredded paper instead of plastic peanuts. They are all biodegradable & can be placed in your household recycling.
We use glass for our smaller products. Our clay & soap berries are in kraft paper bags.
To reduce the weight for shipping we do use some recyclable plastic but plan to transition to non plastic alternatives in the future. It is difficult to source airless pumps made from non plastic materials at the moment. Our pump jars are plastic recycle code 5, Polypropylene (PP). Our pump bottles are plastic recycle code 1, PETE. They are fully recyclable & can be placed with your normal household recycling after a quick rinse.

Conscious Change
We are advocates for positive lifestyle, behaviour, consumption & mindset change that benefits the environment & our health in all areas of life. For example, we advocate eating a largely plant based vegan diet, growing some of your own produce, recycling, community & connection. We advise using a minimal amount of our cream as we want to supplement not completely supply the skin with all lipids & moisture. We have put a lot of effort in to advocating for health improving modalities.
If we improve the consciousness of the average person mentally, physically & spiritually this will lead to powerful systemic change in all areas of life.

Design Philosophy

Biocompatible
We harness natures intelligence & our innate ability to heal. We use skin identical, bio-mimicking ingredients that the skin can metabolise. Our products are pH balanced & skin barrier supporting.

Considered
We have a 360 philosophy of product design & consider the ingredients, packaging, environmental impact & skin health in unison.
We consider the details of every ingredient including their processing, stability, sustainability, long term skin effects, irritation potential, safety profile, interaction with other ingredients & mechanism of action. For example, the extraction method of vegetable oils effects their irritation potential, particularly if they are extracted using solvents like hexane. This greatly improves their yield but impacts its quality & safety. We house our products in dark glass & airless jars with contactless dispensing, to protect against degradation & contamination.

Quality
The same ingredient is not the same quality. For example, the quality of the same vegetable oil is effected by its extraction technique, chemical processing & storage. We only use expeller pressed, all natural & organic oils without added heat or solvents. This not only retains the quality of the oil but reduces the chance of skin irritation. When choosing vegetable lipids for example, we analyse their composition & stability against heat, light & oxygen. Applying rancid oils to the skin increases the chance of an adverse reaction & cellular damage which accelerates the signs of aging. This is why we don’t use polyunsaturated oils. Instead we use stable lipids like jojoba oil, squalene & macadamia oil.

Essential
We believe in minimal, multifunctional, fuss free formulations with proven ingredients. Our products have less than 10 ingredients & don’t contain any for marketing reasons. Not only does this improve their environmental footprint, but it reduces their potential for irritation. Our products are concentrated & compliment one another so a little goes a long way.

Safe
We use our products as do our friends & family. Our community include infants, children & those with skin & immune problems so health is our absolute priority. For example we do not use ethoxylated ingredients, phthalates, GMO's or other toxic ingredients just to save costs. Our products are also safe for the environment as they are biodegradable. We have set a new standard in safety & gentleness & have defined natural, organic & clean in our Aethereal Standard.

The Aethereal Standard

A new level of clean, gentle & conscious

What We Use
By using clean, conscious & effective ingredients, we not only improve the lives of those of us using our products, we support the health of other species, water systems & our planet. In turn, our food, water, air, life quality & consciousness are improved, creating a virtuous cycle of health promotion. We use the best ingredients from nature & science. We are vegan, cruelty free, non toxic, organic where possible, biodegradable, sustainably sourced & hypoallergenic. The key ingredients driving our products are naturally derived & minimally processed including clays, vegetable lipids, salts & plant extracts.

We use safe & recyclable packaging materials that do not contain any hormone disrupting chemicals like phthalates or BPA. Instead we use glass, BPA free plastic & paper to ensure our formulations are clean. We believe in minimal, 100% natural formulas that work with the physiology of the skin & promote skin health. As our ingredients can be metabolised by the body, they are gentle on the environment. They are biodegradable & support the health of our environment.

Our Natural Standard
We define natural in a specific way as there is no set definition. Being natural isn’t about marketing for us, it is about safety, efficacy & health.

Our ingredients are either naturally occurring (in their natural, unprocessed state such as our soap berries), naturally derived & physically processed (naturally occurring ingredients processed with physical means, without the use of solvents or harsh chemicals such as expeller pressing vegetable oils) or naturally-derived & transformed using green chemistry (naturally occurring starting materials which are processed using acceptable processes to change their molecular structure, for example with glycerin).

For acceptable green chemistry, we follow Ecocert &/or COSMOS standards. For an ingredient to comply with these standards, it must be naturally derived (no petrochemical-derived ingredients), biodegradable & created with a production process using permitted chemical & physical modifications. For example, a chemical process that is prohibited by both of these standards is ethoxylation, which can leave ingredients with traces of the carcinogen 1,4-dioxane.

Our Organic Standard
Organic cosmetic formulations use organically farmed ingredients grown without the use of genetically modified organisms, herbicides, synthetic fertilisers & more. Most organic products are produced in a more sustainable way that’s more environmentally friendly. The ingredients are usually biodegradable ensuring harmful chemicals don’t end up in the water supply. Naturally derived products are cultivated from nature, but it doesn’t specify whether they’ve been sprayed with agricultural chemicals.

Our Clean & Non-Toxic Standard
We analyse a number of dimensions to assess the safety & efficacy of ingredients. Acute toxicity measures include looking at the cytotoxicity, skin irritation, skin corrosion & phototoxicity. Mutagenicity tests understand the potential for genotoxic hazards such as DNA changes or damage. We look at potential skin barrier damage by looking at how it effects trans-epidermal water loss, barrier integrity & skin inflammation. We look at whether the ingredient can be metabolised by the body. Finally we are conscious of how an ingredient effects the environment.

What We Don't Use
We don't use ingredients that are likely to pose a risk to human, species or environmental health. This includes 1300 banned substances & 26 common allergenic ingredients as listed in the EU Cosmetics Regulation. These include formaldehyde, parabens, triclosan, hydroquinone, talc & fragrances. We are also free from artificial colours, alcohol, silicone, essential oils, petrochemicals, steroids, ethoxylates, sulphates, animal derivatives & GMO.

Cosmetics, pharmaceutical, personal care & household products end up in the drain. Unfortunately, most waste treatment infrastructure is not designed to filter out most of these chemicals so they effect the health of water systems. This can effect the microbial diversity, plants, animals, fish & invertebrates, thereby effecting the balance of ecosystems. We don't use any environmentally damaging chemicals as all our ingredients are natural, minimally processed & biodegradable. We will never use microplastics, phthalates, synthetic fragrances, triclosan, BHA, BHT or chemical sunscreens which are some of the most harmful cosmetic ingredients for the environment.

As many people with skin problems have overactive immune systems, we also don’t use the top food allergens including cereals with gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats & spelt), crustaceans, eggs, fish, dairy, peanuts & nuts*. *No true nuts are used as macadamia & coconut are seeds & drupes but if you have a nut allergy please consult a medical professional.

We don't use petrochemicals for sustainability reasons as well as the fact that they can’t be metabolised by the skin. For example, mineral oil, silicones and petroleum jelly are commonly used in problem skincare as they are inert, stable & inexpensive. Most people with sensitive skin to do not react to them, however their effect is more superficial. Silicones feel amazing, but they build up on the skin & can clog pores. We prefer to use ingredients that benefit long term skin health.