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What is Cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine?Cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine is used as a surfactant or co-surfactant (for cleansing properties and lather) in products such as shampoos, shampoo bars, body washes, and hand soaps. Often touted as "natural," cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine is made by reacting sodium bisulfite and epichlorohydrin with fatty acids from coconut oil (mainly lauric acid). (Source, pg 23) The coconut oil is reacted first with dimethylaminopropylamine, an irritant that can remain …

To celebrate Earth Day today, we're offering a 20% discount storewide so you can stock up on organic goodness! But we're taking it a step further this year -- we'll be donating 5% of all our sales over the course of the sale to a cause near and dear to our hearts: the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah. WRCNU is a non-profit organization that is licensed to rehabilitate injured and sick wildlife. They receive no government funding and rely on donations to operate.WRCNU works to save …

Lotion Stick vs. Lip Balm...what's the difference?  You may have noticed that our lip balms and lotion sticks have similar or identical ingredients lists. So what's the difference? Can a lotion stick be used as a lip balm? Is the lotion stick just a bigger version of the lip balm?  Our organic lotion sticks and lip balms each have a slightly different base formula -- lotion sticks have just a touch more cocoa butter and beeswax so the formula really sticks on and in your skin to create …

What is Sodium Stearate?Sodium stearate is the ester of sodium and stearic acid -- basically a specialized form of a very hard soap that doesn't lather much and can be used as a stabilizer or to increase viscosity or hardness of a product. (For instance in an emulsion, it can be used as a co-emulsifier and thickener.) It typically comes in flake or pastille form. Is Sodium Stearate Natural? Sodium stearate occurs naturally in most soap bars. It's derived from stearic acid which is foun …

What is Ozokerite? Ozokerite, aka "fossil wax" or "mineral wax" is a solid yellow-to-brown wax used commonly in lipsticks and other color cosmetics, moisturizers, and deodorants. Composed primarily of paraffinic hydrocarbons, ozokerite historically has been mined from coal and shale deposits. The crude wax was mined and then purified through a process of boiling, treating with sulfuric acid, and filtered with charcoal. Nowadays most "ozokerite" waxes on the market are usually a blend of pet …