Welcome to our shop!
Welcome to our shop!
Essential oils are botanically derived, using a distillation or cold press process to extract plant oils. For an excellent. In depth discussion on how essential oils are made, we refer you to “Untapping the Power of Nature: Essential Oil Extraction Methods” from the New Directions Aromatics site. Fragrance oils can be derived from botanicals, or created synthetically. There are many companies that market fragrance oils as essential oils, and while we like and use some of these oils, we do not consider them to be essential oils. Absolute oils are similar to essential oils but they are not made using distillation or cold press methods, rather the oils are extracted with solvents. Absolute oils contain essential oils, as well as other plant properties and they a higher concentration of fragrance. Although absolute oil can be made from organically grown botanicals, due to the extraction method, it cannot be certified organic. A detailed discussion about solvent extraction can be found at the Eden Botanicals website.
We only use 100% pure, undiluted botanical essential, and occasionally absolute, oils in our skin care products, because the oils are chosen for their specific qualities for the skin which fragrance oils, even those naturally made from botanicals, will not impart.
Not all botanicals have corresponding essential oils, especially fruits. Except for citrus oils, most fruits don’t have a distilled essential oil form. We sometimes use fragrance oils for body washes, lotions and candles. People like strawberry and peach body butters and lotions, and we like making them using safe, non-toxic fragrance oils. We’ve sourced some of our fragrance oils from Plant Guru that are alcohol and phthalate free.
We use both 100% pure essential, absolute and fragrance oils in our candles depending on price point. We make all of our candles with a maximum scent load of 12%. A candle with a net weight of 8.5 ounces will contain 1.02 ounces of scent oil. 100% pure undiluted sandalwood essential oil runs anywhere from $63.00 for the Australian variety, to upwards of $120 for the Indian Mysore variety, per ounce, which would make for very expensive candles!
In sum, our skin care products are as pure and natural as we can possibly make them; however, we are not absolutists! Some, but not all, of our lotions and body butters may use fragrance oil, many are botanically derived, and they are all cosmetic grade, safe and non-toxic. We use all types of oils, sometimes a blend, in our candles as well. We will note in the description of our products which types of oils are used.
We source from various on-line retailers and wholesalers, including, but not limited to, Wholesale Botanics, The Essential Oil Company, VineVida, Skylara, Veda Oils U.S., Candle Science, Bulk Naturals, BrambleBerry, Plant Guru and Vetiver Aromatics. and others. Depending on their intended use, we shop around to find the best quality and the best prices per ounce and are always interested in exploring new sources. If you know of any we haven’t mentioned that you recommend, leave us a note.
We use the highest quality, organic and/or natural carrier oils in our products. A carrier oil is an odorless, moisturizing oil used as a diluent for essential oils, as direct application of essential oils on the skin can cause irritation with unpleasant side effects. Carrier oils also serve as a scent fixative, as they do not evaporate and will stay on the skin.
Our essential oil scent rollers use jojoba carrier oil as it does not interfere with the scent, and has the added benefit of moisturizing your skin. Our skin care products use a variety of other carrier oils chosen for their ability to address specific skin types. For example, macadamia nut oil is used in our Exquisite Florlasl & Frankincense skin care line to address issues associated with mature skin as it will help diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Macadamia nut oil is renowned for its anti-aging qualities because it contains squalane & oleic acid, both of which promotes cell regeneration. We also use sweet almond oil, argan oil and brown rice oil as carriers, depending on use, to extract their maximum benefit. Rather than reinvent the wheel, I refer you to the Plant Guru for an excellent FAQ page, including information regarding carrier oils you can read here.
We use 100% organic butters in our skin care products, including body butters, lotions, balms, etc. Shea butter is one of the most popular butters used in natural, luxury body butters, as it is extremely beneficial to the skin due to its healing and anti-inflammatory properties. Shea butter is an excellent hydrating moisturizer and can be used all over. Vitamins A and E are also contained in shea butter which helps correct hyperpigmentation (dark spots), reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Shea butter has a pleasant scent, and mixes well with many essential & fragrance oils, including our Haumea scent blend.
Organic mango butter is another one of our favorites as it is almost odorless and doesn’t interfere with more delicate scent blends such as our Exquisite Florals and Frankincense. Like shea butter, mango butter contains antioxidants, is anti-inflammatory and eases the effects of aging skin. It also works well for people with dry or irritated skin.
We chose murumuru butter for our Basil & Tea Tree Oil skin care line developed for acne prone skin because because it is non-comedogenic and less likely to clog pores. Murumuru is also rich in emollients, fatty acids and will keep skin well-hydrated.
If you have a preferred butter you would like, please let us know and we will work with you to make the custom body butter of your dreams.
Our perfumes are comprised of pure essential and absolute oils and perfumer’s alcohol from Vetiver Aromatics. Our eu de parfum is comprised of 35% essential oils and 65% perfumer’s alcohol. Our scent rollers contain 2.36 ml of essential oil per 10ml of carrier oil.
We use 100% organic, American Soy Organics’ “Freedom Soy Wax” (update: We recently started using American Soy Organic’s “Freedom Coconut Wax” in some of our candles) and Meyer’s 100% Pure Domestic USA Beeswax, Chemical Free Triple Filtered. We use both types in all of our candles. The ratio of wax type differs depending on whether it is being used for a poured, or a molded candle. 
For any of our skin care products which contain beeswax, such as our Eucalyptus Breeze Soothing Foot Balm, we use Sky Organics’ 100% pure, triple-filtered organic white beeswax pellets.
We also use emulsifying wax in our emulsified skin care products, including Olive Emulsifying Wax by Oslove Organics, and premium quality, vegetable based emulsifying wax from Plant Guru.
Carrot seed oil is a carrier oil, not to be confused with its cousin, carrot seed essential oil. Carrot seed oil is a rich source of retinol and vitamins A, C and E, all of which work wonders for mature skin as it helps diminish fine lines and wrinkles, balances natural oil and collagen production and is a great moisturizer. We use this oil in some of our skin care products for its anti-aging and hydrating properties as well as it’s benefits to help combat acne and other skin problems.
We use “Pure Organic Unrefined Cold Pressed Carrot Seed OIl” from Sulu Organics.
Rosehip oil is another extremely advantageous carrier oil as it contains retinoids (a vitamin A derivative) which evens skin tone, boosts collagen, smooths fine lines and wrinkles, hydrates and brightens the skin. For a detailed discussion about retinoids, please see “What Are Retinoids? Here’s Everything You Need to Know” from the Dermstore website. We find that carrot seed and rosehip oils work very well together.
We use natural organic colorants in our skin care products, which include, but are not limited to: organic beetroot powder, organic spinach powder, organic achiote (annatto seed) powder and organic blue spirulina powder. We use dyed soy wax chips to color our candles.
We love the look of mica, which is a naturally derived substance with added synthetic colorants. I found that mica colorants make our shower gels and body washes look bright and beautiful, so we use it in those products. As always, we will keep you informed of ingredients used in all of our product descriptions. We will make a custom body wash/shower gel with natural or no colorant as part of our bespoke skin care service.
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We use a broad-spectrum preservative called OptiPhen Plus and in our skin care products that contain water, such as our emulsified moisturizers, cleansers, astringents, body lotions and shower gels. The amount of preservative in our products is anywhere between .75%-1.5% of the total product. OptiPhen Plus is not considered all natural because it contains phenoxyethanol, which is widely used in cosmetics and skin care. Phenoxyethanol is a preferred preservative as it’s low in toxicity, does not contain formaldehyde or parabens, and effectively provides protection against bacteria. For products that don’t contain water – body butters, anti-aging serum, balms, and scent rollers, we use natural rosemary oleoresin to preserve the shelf life of the essential oils, or, in the case of perfumes and oils, for example, omit the preservative altogether.
Borage seed oil is an anti-inflammatory, and can assist in reducing inflammation and redness of the skin and is especially beneficial for dry or acne-prone skin. It’s also omega rich, promotes collagen production, and absorbs into the skin quickly without leaving an oily film.
We use Cliganic 100% Pure and Natural Certified Organic Borage Oil.
