Ingredients 2019
Our Ingredients Pledge
Ingredients we avoid
How to Read a Cosmetic label
Our Ingredients Pledge
Made with Passion - “Anthony and Kamila have devoted their entire lives to natural medicine and natural cosmetics. We strongly believe this is the way forward and take true pride in both the contents and the effectiveness of every product we make”
Vegan
All our cosmetic products are certified vegan and this is a passion of Kamila’s who has been vegetarian by choice since the age of 8.
Cruelty Free
All White Lotus cosmetic products are produced without animal testing. When producing natural botanical based products animal testing is never required.
Organic
White Lotus uses certified organic ingredients where ever possible. We believe it is critically important to be honest in this pursuit. Many products now contain images on them designed to look like certification symbols. The statement will read something like ‘Contains organic ingredients’. When you examine the ingredients list you will see a token amount of less than 1% organic aloe vera or something similar added as an after thought to the usual toxic cocktail.
To highlight this White Lotus has now begun listing the percentage of organic ingredients on each of its products. The ‘Activated Jade and Tourmaline Crystal Serum’ for example is made from 90% certified organic ingredients while the ‘Organic Green Tea Facial Oil’ contains 100% certified organic ingredients. The minimum for a lot of certification is only 70% but we feel if it is possible to use a higher percentage then we should.
Where no organic ingredients are used we ensure they are considered natural and are recognised by groups like the Soil Association as safe.
Ingredients We Avoid (drop down menus)
Parabens
These are synthetic preservative that are widely found in skin care and in 2010 were found to be present in 44% of available cosmetic products.
Common names to look for on the labels include benzylparaben, butylparaben, ethylparaben, isobutylparaben, heptylparaben, methylparaben, propylparaben
Increasingly controversial they do not break down in the environment and are increasingly accumulating in the natural world. There has also been concern about their potential estrogenic activity in the body.
Sulphates
These are inexpensive foaming agents commonly found in shampoos and cleansers
Common names to look out for include Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)
There are many rumours about the toxicity of Sodium laurel sulphate on the internet but none are scientifically substantiated. The main reason to avoid these ingredients is that they can be an irritant to the natural oil barrier of the skin causing skin irritation and leading to a loss of moisture in the skin.
Mineral Oils or Petroleum Products
Mineral oil also known as liquid paraffin is often used in poor quality cosmetic products due to its low price.
Common names to look out for include mineral oil, paraffinum liquidum, petrolatum, petroleum, paraffin oil
We only use plant based oils that allow the skin to breath and do not block the pores the way mineral oil does
Phthalates
Phthalates are a group of chemicals commonly in soaps cleansers and shampoos
Common names to look for are dibutylphthalate (DBP), dimethylphthalate (DMP), and diethylphthalate (DEP)
Research suggest they may disrupt hormone systems and so should be avoided in all natural products.
Ethanolamines
Ethanolamines are used as stabilisers, emulsifiers and foaming agents in many lotions and creams
Commone names include diethanolamine (DEA), nitrosodiethanolamine (NDEA), Triethanolamine (TEA), TEA-Lauryl sulfate, MEA, DEA-cetyl phosphate, LinoleamideMAE
Some Ethanolamines are irritants to the eyes and skin while others in particular DEA can react with other ingredients to form a potent carcinogen. They are best avoided in all beauty products.
Silicones
Silicones are included in some topical products to alter their texture so they feel better on the skin.
Names to look out for include cyclopentasiloxane, dimethicone and dimethicone copolyol.
They are non biodegradable so should be avoided for environmental concerns alone but they also form a barrier against the skin which affects the skins ability to breath and detoxify.
Palm Oil
Unless you have been living off planet for the last few years you will have heard of the environmental damage the palm industry is doing to forest through out the third world.
White Lotus never uses palm oil in any of its products. Not only is it unethical but it is a poor quality oil for cosmetics and is better replaced by high quality oils like green tea oil which do not block the pores.
GMO’s
These are plants and animals that have had their DNA altered to increase growth or provide other supposed benefits. Legally manufacturers do not currently have to identify ingredients as genetically modified so it is often hard to tell if a product contains GMO’s
The long term effects of this global experiment remain unknown. White Lotus does not use any GMO ingredients in any of its products.
Synthetic fragrances
The number of people suffering allergic reactions to synthetic fragrances is growing every year. The problem has become so bad that in 2007 synthetic fragrances won the dubious honour of allergen of the year in Dermatitis magazine. Estimates now put the number of people allergic to various synthetic fragrances at 10% of the population.
Anthony kingston contributed a full article to WellBeing magazine on this subject back in 2016 that was read by over 200,000 people as we feel very strongly about the subject.
These are hard to spot on the label and can simply be listed as parfum. Sadly it is a case of buyer beware and trust the company you buy from.
Synthetic colours
This is a growing area for concern. In an effort to distinguish themselves in a busy marketplace more and more cosmetic brands are turning to brash colours to increase sales.
Many of the synthetic dyes used can cause skin irritation and worse they can absorb through the skin and cause other internal health problems. Many dyes which are banned in foods are still legal in cosmetic products.
Dyes are hard to detect on labels. In some cases there may be an unusual chemical sounding name while in others they will be listed as ‘Green 6’ for example. The is the manufacturers name for the dye and does not explain which chemicals are used to create the dye.
If in doubt avoid products containing any form of synthetic dyes they are never necessary.
How to read a cosmetic label