Wildcrafted Skincare
Ever wondered what the ingredients are in your skin care?
Your skin is the largest organ of you body and it is so important to know what is being absorbed beneath its surface.
Here is a list of some of the ingredients I use so you can be better informed as to what they are and why they are included as part of my formulations.
An Emulsifier helps stabilize the formulation and also helps get vitamins and antioxidants to the deeper skin layers.
Surfactants are perhaps the most important of all cosmetic ingredient, in fact the cosmetic industry probably wouldn't exist without them. In cosmetics, surfactants are used for cleansing, foaming, thickening, emulsifying, solubilizing, penetration enhancement, antimicrobial effects, and other special effects.
The word surfactant is a shortened form of "surface-active agent", a surfactant is an ingredient that stabilizes mixtures of oil and water. Because water and oil do not dissolve in each other, a surfactant has to be added to the mixture to keep it from separating into layers. Surfactants in cosmetics provide one or more of six different functions:
- Detergents for cleansing
- Wetting agents in perms
- Foaming agents for shampoos
- Emulsifiers in creams and lotions
- Conditioning agents in skin and hair-care products
- Solubilizers for perfumes and flavors
I use various butters in my skin care depending on what I am making. My favorites are:
- Organic Shea Butter - helps skin retain moisture, which makes it soft and smooth. Since it's loaded with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents,
- Organic Cacao Butter - creates a protective barrier that holds in moisture and prevents your skin from drying.
- Organic Mango Butter - soothing, moisturizing and protective properties.
- Organic Capuacu Butter - rich in phytosterols which benefit dry, damaged skin, polyphenols to combat free radicals in the tissues, and fatty acids to protect and moisturise.
All of my wildcrafted oils are made with a base of Organic Jojoba oil. Jojoba Oil is incredible stable, unlike Sweet Almond oil or Olive Oil which has a short shelf life and tends to go rancid quickly.
My oils are slow infused in Jojoba Oil over many weeks, strained and used in most of my skin care range.
My current selection of Wildcrafted Oils includes:
- Chamomile Oil (Wild Foraged: Canterbury)
- Kawakawa Oil (Wild Foraged: Banks Peninsula)
- Rosehip Oil (Wild Foraged: Central Otago)
- St John’s Wort Oil (Wild Foraged: Central Otago)
I buy a variety of cold pressed and infused oils to supplement my range.
My current selection of these oils includes:
- Borage Oil
- East Cape Manuka Oil 20+ (Award Winning)
- Vitamin E Oil
- Meadowfoam Oil
- Sea Buckthorn Oil
- Hemp Seed Oil
- Tamanu Oil
- Macadamia Oil
The combination of Phenoxyethanol and Capryl Glycol. See my list for a full description of these two ingredients.
The combination of these ingredients provides optimized protection against microbial growth from bacteria + yeast.
VEGAN ⋅ NOT TESTED ON ANIMALS ⋅ GMO FREE
A blend of Cetearyl Olivate + Sorbitan Olivate.
Olivem 1000 is a non-ionic oil into water (O/W) PEG-free emulsifying wax derived from olives and RSPO mass balance certified palm oil.
- Emulsifier = helps stabilize the formulation and also helps get vitamins and antioxidants to the deeper skin layers.
VEGAN ⋅ NOT TESTED ON ANIMALS ⋅ GMO FREE
Oil of the Candeia Plant. Non-toxic, non-irritating, anti-inflammatory + wound healing. Anti-microbial against
VEGAN ⋅ NOT TESTED ON ANIMALS ⋅ GMO FREE
Also known as Cetostearyl Alcohol. A mixture of fatty alcohols which help stabilize emulsions and enhancing viscosity.
VEGAN ⋅ NOT TESTED ON ANIMALS ⋅ GMO FREE
Non-Ionic Emulsifier composed of Cetearyl Alcohol + Fatty Acids of Olive Oil. Hypoallergenic, softening.
- Emulsifier = helps stabilize the formulation and also helps get vitamins and antioxidants to the deeper skin layers.
VEGAN ⋅ NOT TESTED ON ANIMALS ⋅ GMO FREE
Surfactant + Emulsifier made from Olive Oil + Sorbitol (natural sugar alcohol). Non-Otis, biodegradable, non-irritating.
- Surfactant = an ingredient that stabilizes mixtures of oil and water.
- Emulsifier = helps stabilize the formulation and also helps get vitamins and antioxidants to the deeper skin layers.
VEGAN ⋅ NOT TESTED ON ANIMALS ⋅ GMO FREE
A transparent preservative used in cosmetic products.
Phenoxyethanol is a transparent liquid preservative for personal care products. It is found in a wide range of skin care, hair care, and bath products. Being both low-irritating and low-sensitizing, it can be used in products that necessitate mildness, such as baby products. It is incorporated into a variety of different formulation types due to its solubility characteristics.
I use a product called Microcare PHG in my products which has Phenoxyethanol in it. Please refer to my list for a description of this product.
VEGAN ⋅ NOT TESTED ON ANIMALS ⋅ GMO FREE
Caprylyl glycol is an Emmolient.
It is a fabulous ingredient because of its hydrating and moisturizing properties. It attracts water to the topmost layer of the skin and locks it there. Caprylyl glycol is also a preservative that increases the shelf life of the products that it is used in.
- Emmolient = Emollients are moisturising treatments applied directly to the skin to soothe and hydrate it. They cover the skin with a protective film to trap in moisture.
I use a product called Microcare PHG in my products which has Capryl Glycol in it. Please refer to my list for a description of this product.
VEGAN ⋅ NOT TESTED ON ANIMALS ⋅ GMO FREE
Vitamin E is a fat soluble vitamin found in many different plant oils and throughout the body where it acts as an antioxidant to prevent the oxidation of lipids.