Description
Organic base cream formulated in the UK and certified by COSMOS.
It is light base that leaves the skin smooth and silky..
It is suitable to all skin types. However the cream will allow you to use your creative streak and customise it to your own personal needs or those of your clients by adding active ingredients of your choice. As such 0.5 to 1% Essential oils can be added to fragrance your cream or benefit from the therapeutic nature of the oils. Equally the cream will hold up to 5% of extra base oils. This allows you to add nourishing oils that will enable to target a specific condition more efficiently.. Think of rosehip and pomegranate for mature skin, calendula for dry and sensitive skin, borage or evening primrose, St John's wort or arnica etc… 5% is typically the limit as adding too much will cause the cream to separate,
It has a 6 months shelf life once the jar has been open. As the cream has a high water component, it requires the use of preservatives in order to control the growth of bacteria and mould. The preservatives used in this base cream are not as powerful and strong as in a standard high street product. It is advisable to buy the cream when you need it and used it as soon as you receive it therefore buy a small quantity often rather than a large pot with a view to kieep using it for weeks or months.
if you decide to buy a larger pot, it is advisable to decant a small quantity into a smaller container and place the original pot in the fridge to be used when required. It is the repeated opening and closing of the pot and and the exposure of the cream to oxygen in the air that contributes to the product wasting more quickly..
INGREDIENTS
Aqua
Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil*
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter*
Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil*
Cera Alba (Beeswax)*
Glyceryl Stearate
Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter*
Glycerin
Coco-Glucoside
Sucrose Stearate
Coconut Alcohol
Xanthan Gum
Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe) Leaf Juice Powder*
Borago Officinalis (Borage) Seed Oil*
Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Fruit Oil*
Tocopherol
Benzyl Alcohol**
**Dehydroacetic Acid
- Organic**
** Preservative also classed as an potential allergen
Suitable for babies and children above 3 years old. Suitable for pregnant women
LEXICON
Most of these ingredients are commonly used by Aromatherapists. To help with those more obscure terms that are clearly the result of a man made interference, we have put together a short lexicon to bring light over those more osbscure ingredients. It will alo help you to have a complete appreciation of the product you may intend to purchase to use for yourself or your therapy room.
Benzyl Alcohol, used in combination with Dehydroacetic Acid
Benzyl alcohol is a colorless liquid with a mild pleasant aromatic odor. It occurs naturally in some essentail oils such as jasmine and ylang ylang. It is also produced industrially through various chemical reactions.
In skin care, Benzyl alcohol is an ingredient used in the manufacture of soaps, topical creams, skin lotions, shampoos, and facial cleansers and is popular due to its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, its polarity and low toxicity. However, Benzyl alcohol may cause contact dermatitis. A patch test is recommended.
Coco-Glucoside
is a non-ionic (electrically neutral) surfactant that can be used a a foaming agent, conditioner or emulsifer. A surfactant is a product that reduces the surface tension which means that it allows for better spreading and absorption. Derived from coconut and fruit-sugars, it is natural and biodegradable. It works as an emulsifyer and allows for the addition of thicker oils and essential oils without the base product losing its consistency and stability. Coco-glucoside contains no lauryl sulphates, laureth sulphates, parabens, formaldehyde or diethanolamides.
Dehydroacetic Acid used in combination with Benzyl Alcohol
Dehydroacetic acid is a chemical that come in the form of an odourless white crystalline powder. It has antifungal and antibacterial properties, and is used in many personal and skin care products as a preservative.
It is considered to be a low hazard for human health and for the environment. Typical content is 0.6% in a fromulation..
Glyceryl Stearate
Glyceryl Stearate is made from stearic acid. It is a fatty acid derived from vegetable fats and oils, that is made to react (esterification) with glycerin. The resulting product creates an emulsifier which is used to combine oil and water into a stable solution.
Glyceryl stearate has the ability to make the oils which are combined in the emulsion non greasy, Whichever base oils are used in the formula will lend their therapeutic properties to it without adding any undesired greasiness
.
Sucrose Stearate
is a mixture of sucrose (sugar) and stearic acit. Sucrose is found in most fruits and vegetables. Stearic acid is a fatty acid found in animal and vegetable fats, in high conentration in shea butter and cocoa butter. This combination produces an emulsifier which has also emollient qualities which makes the skin feel supple and smooth.
It is a formulation based on natural and renewable raw materials, free from organic solvents and preservatives.
Xanthum Gum
Xanthan gum is a chain of sugar building blocks made by fermenting simple sugars with a specific kind of bacteria. It derives its name from the species of bacteria used during the fermentation process, Xanthomonas campestris.
It is an effective thickening agent. It is not an emulsifier per se and cannot be used on its own to bind water and oil. It helps suspend solid particles and stabilize a formulation to prevent the ingredients from separating..
it has been approved for use in food, medicine and skin care where it is used to make water gels and stabilise oil in water emulstions.