Information on ingredients on this website is taken from reputable scientific sources. Whilst all care and due diligence is taken to ensure these details are correct, The Purist Company makes no guarantee as to the accuracy of the contained information.

Special Ingredients

• proVitamin B5 is a highly valued cosmetic ingredient. This vitamin is absorbed deep into the skin where it has been shown to have valuable therapeutic effects. It is used in pharmaceutical creams for its soothing and healing properties. It is effective in the treatment of irritated, itchy or grazed skin, dermatoses, sunburn and other skin troubles. It leaves the skin feeling velvety and smooth. It is used in high concentrations in many of our products.
• Avocado unsaponifiables is the fraction of avocado rich in mixed phytosterols, including tocopherol. Avocado unsaponifiables have been shown in studies to enhance collagen synthesis. It provides positive benefits in skin disorders due to its protective effects on fibroblasts. Avocado unsaponifiables contribute significant sunscreen properties to our skin creams.
• Vitamin E acetate is a stable form of Vitamin E. Numerous studies attest to its usefulness to promote the health of the skin. Dermatologists recommend Vitamin E for the treatment of severe itching, ulcers, corns, burns, wounds, and a large number of skin diseases. Vitamin E has been shown to reduce skin roughness and fine facial lines and wrinkles. It also acts as a natural sunscreen.
• Hydrolysed wheat protein contributes richness and skin protective properties to our formulae. These short chain proteins are easily absorbed by skin and hair where they attract water, acting as moisturisers.
• Diatomaceous earth is the exfoliating cleanser we use in our [A’kin] Sandalwood & Sweet Orange, Invigorating Body Scrub. This ingredient is a very pure grade of fine particles of plant silica. It is an environmentally sound alternative to the commonly used beads of plastic (polyethylene). It is much gentler to the skin than other commonly used naturally derived alternatives, such as walnut shells.

Oils

A primary consideration in selecting oils for our products is their inherent stability to oxidation. Jojobais a unique natural oil. It is, in fact, a super fine liquid wax and is totally stable to oxidation - it does notgo rancid, as do most other vegetable oils. By far the most stable vegetable oil is avocado, due to itsextraordinarily high concentration of unsaponifiables such as tocopherol, a well-known antioxidant. Next most stable is macadamia oil. Almond and olive come next, then grapeseed, sesame and canola. Most other common vegetable oils are not sufficiently stable for use in personal care products. Coconut oil and synthetic oils such as isopropyl myristate are known to be 'comedogenic' and can cause pimply eruptions.

• Avocado oil is one of the most penetrating oils known and has the rare ability to transport active substances into the skin. It exhibits skin healing properties due to its richness in lecithin and high content of oil soluble vitamins. Native Mexican and South American women applied avocado to the skin for protection against dry winds. Of many tested plant oils, avocado was placed first in sunscreening capabilities.
• Macadamia oil is the crème de la crème of nut oils. It is very similar in composition to skin sebum, and is therefore very gentle. Macadamia nut oil rubs quickly into the skin, and gives a silky feel.
• Jojoba oil (wax) is the oil we use most. It is a naturally pure oil from the seeds of the desert shrub, Simmondensia chinensis. Sonora Desert native inhabitants have used the oil for skin salves, medicinal preparations and hair dressings for centuries. Scientific endeavor has established the uniqueness of this elegant feeling wax ester which penetrates quickly into the skin, helping to reduce water loss. Jojoba oil has been shown to effectively reduce superficial facial lines and provide lasting skin softness. It has recently been shown to be effective in treating many psoriases and skin itches.

Fragrance

If you see the word "fragrance" or "perfume" on its own in the list, this indicates that the fragrance is totally or predominantly synthetic. Proven beneficial aromatherapeutic effects are gained only from using plant essential oils.
For fragrancing water based and oil-free products we use new generation 100% plant, water soluble Hydroessentials, instead of the commonly used ethoxylated solubilisers.

Anti-Oxidant Complex

Antioxidants have a dual function in cosmetics and toiletries as skin protectors, by neutralising skin damaging free radicals; and to give some protection against cosmetic oils oxidising (or going rancid). We use a synergistic complex of the following four safe, plant-derived antioxidants - tocopherols (soy derived Vitamin E), ascorbyl palmitate (Vitamin C derivative), soy lecithin and Hydrogenated palm glycerides citrate.

The Purist Company also uses a special rosemary extract which has powerful anti-oxidant properties.

Emulsifiers

There are three main types of surfactants used in personal care products - emulsifiers, cleansers and solubilisers. (We do not use solubilisers, for reasons we explain under 'Ingredients We Don’t Use'.) Emulsifiers are used to combine oil and water to form creams, lotions or milks. The skin more readily absorbs oils from emulsions compared to when they are applied neat.
All our hand and body products use the following four ingredients in a uniquely skin-friendly delivery system.

• Sodium stearoyl lactylate is 100% vegetable-derived, and made from constituents found naturally occurring in the skin. Due to its inherent affinity to skin protein, sodium stearoyl lactylate is totally non-irritating to both skin and eyes (most emulsifiers disturb the skins natural protective function). It is recognised as one of the most skin friendly emulsifiers known.
• Glyceryl stearate is also 100% vegetable-derived. It is well known as one of the gentlest and safest emulsifying waxes available. (Unfortunately, the commonly used mixture of glyceryl stearate with its ethoxylated analogue can also legally be listed on labels simply as "glyceryl stearate". Ask your cosmetic supplier if the glyceryl stearate they use is pure or part ethoxylated)
• Behenyl alcohol is 100% derived from rapeseed oil. It is a skin friendly wax which forms elegant feeling emulsions with sodium stearoyl lactylate.
• Glyceryl laurate is also 100% vegetable derived. It is very mild to the skin.

Cleansers

Cleansers are a type of emulsifier. They are made up of an oil-loving "head", which imbeds into dirt impregnated oil, and a water-loving "tail", which aids in washing the dirt away.

• Sucrose cocoate is an extremely mild, nonionic cleanser made entirely from sugar cane and coconut oil. It is a sophisticated ingredient, which has powerful anti-irritant properties. We use it in our cleansers and sensitive skin shampoos.
• Lauryl polyglucose is another 100% plant-derived mild cleanser. It is made from cornstarch and coconut oil. It is the most skin-friendly member of the glucolipid family of nonionic cleansers, and also has thickening properties.
• Sodium cocoyl sarcosinate is a derivative of coconut oil and the amino acid, sarcosine. It is skin friendly and has the unusual ability of producing a very rich lather in the presence of oil- the more oil, the richer the lather!
• Sodium cocoyl glutamate is a derivative of coconut oil and the amino acid, glutamate. It is a high cost cleanser which contributes a protective and reparative effect to hair and skin, and creaminess to our formulations.
• Cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine is used in our cleansers as an exclusive replacement for its relative, cocamodopropyl betaine (which is used in most shampoo formulations). Although more expensive, the sultaine outperforms the betaine in mildness and effectiveness. Both are derivatives of coconut oil.
• Disodium cocoamphodiacetate is used as the standard for mildness for low irritation baby shampoos. It is made from coconut oil.
• Sodium lauryl sulfoacetate is used as the primary cleanser in our shampoos and body washes. It is milder to the skin than most other cleansers, and recommended as a soap replacement for people with sensitive skin. It is derived from palm oil.

The Purist Company’s cleansing products are renowned for the sophistication of their formulations, making them highly effective, luxurious to use and very gentle. The cleansers we use are plant-derived and non-ethoxylated.

Hair Detangler

• Behentrimonium methosulfate is the mildest detangling ingredient available. It is derived from rape seed oil, combined with the extremely mild methosulfate group instead of the much cheaper and more irritating chlorine. This high tech naturally derived ingredient is renowned for its superior detangling ability, without causing excessive build-up on the hair.

Consistency Modifiers

• Cetearyl alcohol is added to our detangling ingredient to thicken our hair conditioners. It is a totally plant derived wax.
• Sclerotium gum is a new generation natural thickener produced by a biofermentation process. It is extremely pure, and has a far superior feel to all other natural gums.

Humectants

Humectants act as moisturisers by attracting water to themselves. They also have the function of preventing creams from drying out.

• Sorbitol is by far the most suitable humectant for use in products to be left on the skin, such as moisturisers. It is light and non-sticky, and not so strong in attracting moisture to itself that it draws moisture out of the deep layers of the skin. Sorbitol is made from glucose.
• Glycerin is the humectant of choice in products which are not left on the skin, such as shampoos and hair conditioners. The glycerin we choose is 100% plant derived.

Natural Stability System

Water is the precipitator of bacterial growth. Products containing no water eg toothpaste, do not need preservatives. Night creams, being made of tiny emulsified droplets of water in oil, can be quite easily formulated to resist bacterial spoilage.

We contribute to the physical and microbiological stability of our formulations in a number of ways. We choose pure ingredients free from bacterial contamination. We avoid ingredients, such as honey, which are difficult to preserve. And we use small amounts of the safest preservatives available. We use Sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, a very mild, amino acid derived preservative and potassium sorbate, a mild organic acid. We add a small amount of a very pure grade of the food ingredient sodium gluconate to most of our products, this potentiates the preservative system, allowing smaller amounts of preservatives to be used. Some of the essential oils we add also contribute preservative properties. pH is an important consideration when designing a self preserving product.