The road to developing ethical products.

lisafeetfixer

I came across a web site it is called chemical of the day. This is a great site! It allows you to type in an ingredient on your bottle of shampoo or skin cleanser to see the characteristics of that ingredient and see if it is in fact a chemical. As I am quite careful (or so I thought), with what I buy, preferring quality over costs, I was shocked to discover that my bathroom cupboard was full of chemicals! In the 'natural' collections, with pictures of coconuts on a faraway beach, the most natural ingredient was Aqua or water, the pictures of coconuts brought to life by a synthetic smell.

I then tried to source more natural products on our supermarket shelves, only to find that organic did not mean 100% organic and natural was often just a marketing line. I searched the internet and found some excellent companies, but these were few compared to the big fish in this market with the lion's share of the shelf space. Also in the area that I work in, foot care products tended to account for only a couple of products over a companies range. I then tried to source a company that would make a range for my company, Feet Fixers, to no avail. The minimum order size was too large and by my being so exacting with my organic requirements, animal friendly, ethically sourced and recyclable packaging, the costs
proved prohibitive.

My next step after extensive research was to look at Feet Fixers producing a range of truly organic, natural products whose ingredients were ethically sourced and packed in recyclable packaging. The products would have to contain preservative, the key was to find natural preservatives if they were to be commercially viable. Without any kind of preservative the product could have potentially harmful micro
organisms growing in them and could turn rancid or become foul smelling. Natural preservatives come in the form of salt, essential oils and honey, among others.

The first two products are now being trialed by brave feet fixers clients. The recipes have been checked by a chemist and after week one, things are looking good. The details of the products can be found on the Feet Fixers web site. At the moment there is a 100% organic heel balm Which is specially kind to sore cracked heels and a
soothing organic Aloe vera foot gel This is great at the end of a hard days work or shopping. You know how that feels! When this trial is over, the two products will go into full production. This should be by the end of August.

During my research, I have found ingredients that I use in cooking, that have specific benefits to the skin. They nourish and help to improve skin cell production in some instances and as the skin is the largest organ in your body, it pays dividends to be kind to it. Vegetable oils such as Jojoba oil, sweet almond oil and macadamia nut oil. I was also shocked at the amount of ingredients that were derived from petrol in some skin care products, such as; propylene glycol, isoprypyl alchohol, parafine and mineral oil! to name a few. As I would not knowingly drink or ingest these petrol based products, I would not have put them on my skin or hair, had I known what they contained. But now i do know, I check all the labels as I do on my food shopping. This is because what goes onto the skin sinks in.

What is so crazy is that the companies producing these products can produce a more ethical product for not a lot more money, instead they are reaping in extra profits. this should be stopped. I am not an eco-warrior but I dont want to fill my bodies and my families bodies with chemicals needlessly, so I will carry on with my little one woman mission - Wish me luck.You can follow my mission on my blog at feet fixers.

Ben84

I struggle with the concept of chemical free, mainly because everything including H2O is a chemical to me. I'm not being too deliberate in missing the point, I've realised most people who refer to things as chemicals are getting at a different point and using the word in a new, but unfortunately inaccurate and confusing way. Chemicals aren't bad and they aren't good, they're basically any molecule from any source and each one has its own specific properties.

The main point I believe is being made is that chemicals from fossil fuels have negatives that chemicals from plants don't.

The problem with the idea of plant molecules being better than molecules from fossil fuels is that it doesn't mean a lot. Many toxic compounds are found in nature, from cyanide in almonds to snake venom. Meanwhile some synthetic chemicals are very well proven to be benign. The situation however becomes even less clear why distinctions are being made when we consider that all the chemicals found in plants can be synthesised in the lab from fossil fuels, from vitamin e to cellulose, which shouldn't really be surprising. If plant molecules can turn in to fossil fuels then fossil fuels can turn back in to plant molecules.

All the chemicals imaginable in cosmetics, whether derived from recently grown plants or old fossilised ones are really just carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and a few other elements attached together in various forms. The elements were all made far back in the history of the universe, long before the Earth existed, way before plants and fossil fuels existed and long before humans evolved to even think these recent ways of arranging them makes any difference. We simply collect them from whatever source is convenient and rearrange them again. Previous arrangements leave no lasting effects on them, so you only need to consider the current form they take.

lisafeetfixer

Wow! I think you clarified the points raised, For that, I am very grateful. I am afraid i do not have your litery skills to put my point across. What I wanted to highlight was the fact that as consumers, these products are being marketed as something they are not, or are barely as natural/plant based:beer: as their makers claim that they are. As a consumer forum, I thought if this was highlighted, people would be more aware and look for these ingredients and therefore have a choice about what they are 'consuming'. I am grateful that you clarified the natural - plant V fossil situation. Of course what you wrote is correct and I am not disputing that, it was the marketing and consumer choice involvement that I was trying to raise.

lisafeetfixer

P.S it's me again! how do I thank you? I am so obviously new to this.

lexa34

It is about making informed choices about what you put on your skin, clean with etc... that is the least potentially harmful to one's body, bank balance and blue planet we live on. I mean, some of the stuff has been proven to be known carcinogens and hormone disruptor's, even skin irritants i.e. SLES/SLS which is used as a cheap foaming agent in shower gels or shampoos! You can make switches to products that do the job but aren't no nasty!