UUTTA: Body Cream

Solvent. Water. The main vehicle for our Body Cream.

Emollient and skin conditioning. Sustainably produced, deodorized and purified Swedish canola oil (from rapeseed oil) gently dissolves makeup and dirt. Canola oil is commonly used in cosmetics and is well-tolerated, skin wise. It is slightly higher in oleic acid (at around 60%), with linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids at a total of just over 30%, making it a good all-around oil for most, and especially for drier and eczema prone skins.

Humectant and skin protecting. Technically a sugar alcohol, glycerin is one of the oldest, most common and most versatile humectants used in cosmetics. It moisturises and protects the skin, accelerates skin barrier recovery and has antimicrobial properties, among other things. We use the vegetable kind, made from rapeseed and organic corn and soy oils.

Surfactant - emulsifying. One third of the non-ionic plant-based Cosmos certified surfactant and emulsifier - i.e. an ingredient enabling us to mix water and oil - we’ve used in the Body Cleanser. It works to form the form the emulsion-like texture of the Cleanser while gently cleasning skin. Bonus: this emulsifier combo has been shown to selectively preserve and restore the cutaneous microflora of skin.

Skin conditioning and preservative. Sodium levulinate is the sodium salt of levulinic acid, an organic acid that in this case is derived from sugarcane. Together with sodium anisate, water and plant derived glycerin, it makes up the preservation system we use for our Body Cleanser. At the appropriate pH, the salts transform into acid, and voilà – product preserved.

Humectant and skin conditioning. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that moisturises and conditions skin, whilst possessing anti-bacterial properties. There is some interesting research that suggests xylitol has the ability to inhibit bacterial biofilm on skin, which in turn may be the cause of many skin issues. The one we use is made in Finland from Finnish oats.

Skin protecting. Colloidal oatmeal. The whole oat grain, including the bran layer, is milled and sieved. This results in a light cream coloured, fine powder. The bran layer of the oat contains a high proportion of natural actives, including oat beta-glucan, avenanthramides, oil and protein, all of which are beneficial for cosmetic use on the skin. A 'colloid' or colloidal suspension is defined as a substance with dispersed insoluble particles suspended throughout. Colloidal oatmeal soothes and relieves redness, itching and minor skin irritations caused by eczema or skin rashes and is monographed by the FDA as a skin protectant. It reduces TEWL (transepidermal waterloss) and effectively forms a physical barrier on the skin surface. The oatmeal we use is made from Finnish oats.

Skin conditioning (emollient) and surfactant (emulsifying). One third of the non-ionic plant-based Cosmos certified surfactant and emulsifier - i.e. an ingredient enabling us to mix water and oil - we’ve used in the Body Cleanser. It works to form the form the emulsion-like texture of the Cleanser while gently cleansing skin. Bonus: this emulsifier combo has been shown to selectively preserve and restore the cutaneous microflora of skin.

Skin conditoning (emollient), surfactant (emulsifying) and emulsion stabilising. One third of the non-ionic plant-based Cosmos certified surfactant and emulsifier - i.e. an ingredient enabling us to mix water and oil - we’ve used in the Body Cleanser. It works to form the form the emulsion-like texture of the Cleanser while gently cleansing skin. Bonus: this emulsifier combo has been shown to selectively preserve and restore the cutaneous microflora of skin.

Thickening, gel forming and emulsion stabilising. A natural and commonly used mainly thickener and gelling agent in cosmetics, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide produced through Bacterial fermentation of pure culture Xanthomonas Campestris with protein and carbohydrate sources, in this case from soy or corn.

Antimicrobial, flavouring agent and preservative. The salt of star anis derived organic acid. The other half of our preservation system.

Antioxidant. Vitamin E. A common antioxidant for fats and oils used in skincare. We use the vegetable kind, derived from soybean and rapeseed to prevent rancidity.

Buffering agent. Citric acid is a commonly used buffering, i.e. pH adjusting, agent in cosmetics. It is made through bacterial fermentation and shifts the pH of the product into the acidic range. This is closer to the natural pH of the skin, which may range from 4 to 7, but is usually thought to be between 5 and 6, with recent studies, however, indicating it to be below 5.