What are they made from?
Contains Coconut oil, castor oil, essential oils, SCI - natural (from coconut oil), baby mild foaming agent. Essential Oils: Lemon, grapefruit, tea tree, gingergrass, peppermint, lime
Where do they come from?
Handmade in the UK
Are they sustainable?
Coconut oil – Can be wet or dry processed. Dry processing gives a higher yield but results in a poorer quality product. Wet processing is more expensive and needs more equipment, methods include electrolysis and steam distillation. Roughly, 1000 coconuts = 70 litres of coconut oil. As with any oil, a lot of the original plant is needed to make a small amount of oil. Refined coconut oil creates a higher yield, and this is mostly what is used in cosmetic products such as this unless otherwise stated. Using coconut oil in soap is good for those in hard water areas, as coconut oil dissolves more easily in hard water than other oils, allowing the soap to lather up better.
Castor oil is used as a replacement for petroleum-based substances in many products. It is a much greener alternative as it is renewable, unlike oil.
Sodium Coco-Sulfate – The foaming agent. A gentle, but effective surfactant made of coconut oil. SCS is made using ONLY COCONUT as the raw material. It sounds similar to, but is not the same as Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, which is often made out of palm oil and other petroleum derivatives, and for some people is an irritant. Sodium Coco-Sulfate however, is not as harsh and doesn’t contain any palm oil, so is known to be a more eco-friendly and safer, albeit more expensive, alternative to traditional SLS’s.
BTMS-50 – A combination of behentrimonium methosulfate (which is derived from rapeseed oil), cetyl alcohol and butylene glycol (counteracts the dehydrating properties of the alcohol). Mild and non-irritating. Most ingredient lists normally list the separate ingredients that make BTMS-50 rather than the combined chemical.
Essential Oils - Essential oil production generally uses steam distillation which has no environmental concerns, but it takes a lot of plants to make only a small amount of essential oil.
Peppermint oil – the most commonly used mint, actually a hybrid between two other mint species, this plant is native to Europe and the Middle East but is widely grown the world over. Morocco is the chief exporter. It is considered to be an invasive weed in some places, but as it is a hybrid it is mostly sterile so has limited capacity to spread widely without help. Peppermint contains some chemicals which act as natural pesticides, so is often added to gardens as an organic deterrent to pests.
Pine oil is a disinfectant and mild antiseptic, derived from you guessed it, pine trees. Can be made out of most parts of the pine tree, not just the needles as you would expect. It is a by-product of the papermaking industry, which mainly uses pine trees. So no tree is felled due to the need for pine oil, as paper demand far outstrips the need for pine oil. This means less waste product which is good.
Tea tree leaves can be sourced sustainably using fair trade principles. But, it can also be synthesised synthetically.
Gingergrass – Related to lemongrass, gingergrass is also known as palmarosa, as its fragrance is similar to roses. It is used as an insect repellent (like lemongrass) and has antibacterial and antifungal properties. India is one of the main producers of this plant. Gingergrass plants tend to be intercropped to stop weeds reducing the yield. Intercropping is much better for maintaining the soil than monoculture plantations, so the cultivation of this plant does not cause any damage. Once the oil has been extracted from the leaves of this plant, the leftover ‘grass’ is composted to be used as manure so nothing is wasted.
Grapefruit – An accidental hybrid between oranges and pomelos rather than a naturally occurring fruit. It is called ‘grape’ fruit because it grows in groups like grapes do. China grows the most grapefruit, followed by the US and Mexico. Grapefruit can be grown organically, but as with most organic produce, it only makes up a small percent of the market currently, although demand for organic produce is growing. The oil is made by cold pressing the rind, which is the least energy-intensive method of extracting oil generally.
Lemon Oil. –Lemon trees come from Asia; North East India is the top spot for this tree. The main lemon exporters are: in South America, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil; in Asia, India and China, and, in Europe, Turkey. These countries provide around two-thirds of all lemons grown. Lemon essential oil is extracted using the peel by cold-pressing. This method doesn’t use excess heat or chemicals to extract the oil, so is relatively environmentally friendly compared to other methods of extraction. Yield wise, a bottle of 15ml lemon essential oil = around 50 lemons. The chemical Limonene is what makes lemons smell lemony, and is what lemon oil is mostly made of. Lemon oil is used in both cleaning and cosmetic products, because of its ability to brighten and antiseptic cleaning power. In haircare, lemon oil can be useful for those prone to dandruff, as it contains something called AHA’s (alpha-hydroxy acids) which help dry scalps by breaking down and removing dead skin.
Lime Oil -. Limes and Lemons appear to be somewhat interchangeable or considered as the same in reports on how they are farmed/produced.
Citrus plantations tend to be managed nowadays as an intensive monoculture, (although a lot of crops are farmed this way now, bring back crop rotation!) which causes soil erosion. This type of farming, whilst effective for crop growing, has caused problems with the land and has even led to over-production (wasted food).
How about ethical?
Made in the UK by a small handmade soap business, so ethically we are all good here.
Extra good stuff:
Juliet says ‘All my soaps are made by hand by me, using natural ingredients and the highest quality fragrance oils and essential oils. My soaps contain no artificial colourants, parabens, SLS, SLES, propylene glycol, triclosan, phthalates, MIT or any other ‘nasties’ commonly found in mass-produced soaps. All ingredients are sourced from companies that are `green' and have a world conscience. None of my ingredients are tested on animals. All my fragrances oils and essential oils are of the highest grade and adhere to strict EU regulations. They comply with the 2013 legislation on beauty products made by the Panel of Experts of the (RIFM) Research Institute for Fragrance Materials, as well as reviewed by the IFRA (International Fragrance Association) Scientific Committee. My soaps are also packaged in 100% recyclable and bio-degradable material.’
Conclusion –
Before we are all washed up by environmental catastrophe, let’s leave the place clean and wash the dishes with a plastic-free bar of solid dish soap.
