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| FIVE ELEMENTS OF CONSCIOUSNESS | Ingredient Philosophy  Why take care of yourself with personal care products that may contain toxic, irritating, harsh and, in some cases, known cancer-causing ingredients? We can't imagine.At Avalon we believe that no one should have to choose between health and beauty. That's why the purity and safety of our ingredients is of paramount importance. Because they can be absorbed directly into the body through the skin, we only use ingredients that we trust while continuing to reject a wide range of commonly used ingredients that are harsh, irritating, or in some cases toxic and cancer-causing. We share our ingredient philosophy with you so that you may understand the choices we've made and our reasons for making them. Preservatives Parabens How Do We Preserve Our Products? Surfactants Petroleum-based Ingredients Raising the Bar Preservatives: Preservatives are a necessary component of every personal care product in order to prevent unhealthy contamination from bacteria, yeasts and molds. Because these products are kept in the bathroom -- exposed to warm, moist air everyday -- and we make bodily contact with them on a regular basis (think deodorant or face cream), personal care products must be able to withstand repeated exposure to contaminants over long periods of time. Additionally, natural personal care products contain relatively high concentrations of water, oil and herbs, creating a rich environment for microbes to settle and grow. Parabens: Parabens, short for "para-hydroxybenzoate," are a class of preservatives widely used in cosmetics and personal care products. There are five types of parabens used in cosmetics. Although there is no definitive consensus on the danger of parabens, Avalon has adopted a 'precautionary principle' and has committed to removing parabens from all our formulations as part of our Consciousness in Cosmetics mission. By removing parabens, our products will exceed the European Union's strict standards for cosmetics. The EU has banned more than 1,300 ingredients that are known or strongly suspected of causing cancer, birth defects or fertility problems. Parabens are not on this list. Avalon Organics Bath & Body Care (green bottles) products have been reformulated and are paraben-free. Our Lavender, Vitamin C and CoQ10 Skin Care lines are also available in paraben-free formulations. Reformulation of Avalon Organics Hair Care Elixirs (blue bottles) and the Alba Botanica products will be completed in late 2006. Since we are introducing these new formulations, both the original formula products and the new formula products will be available at retail for some time to come. If you prefer the paraben-free versions, please look for products with Avalon's CONSCIOUSNESS IN COSMETICS SEAL at the bottom of the front label so that you know it is paraben free. How Do We Preserve Our Products? We reject the use of parabens and other harsh preservatives, but recognize the need for some type of preservative system. To this end, we have used a proprietary, patent-pending preservative system based on natural ingredients. The system is a blend of commonly used, vegetable-derived materials that have a synergistic effect against microbial contamination. All of the components of this system are listed on the ingredient panels of our products, however, due to its proprietary nature, these materials are not highlighted. We also use a minimal amounts of safe, food-grade preservatives such as phenoxyethanol (from sage), benzyl alcohol (from jasmine) and potassium sorbate (from fatty acids). We go further to formulate products with natural ingredients that are proved to inhibit not only the growth of contaminants but repeated exposure to them. Surfactants: Surfactants are the ingredients that provide lather and cleanse-ability in products such as shampoos, shower gels and liquid soaps. They are important ingredients because they have a significant impact on a product's cleansing strength. Some surfactants are associated with occurrences of skin irritation, such as , because they are too strong. We reject these harsh chemicals. It takes artisanship to select and formulate with cleansers that are both gentle and effective. A combination of vegetable-derived surfactants, such as those found in Avalon Organics Shampoos, is one example of such a combination. [Cocamidopropyl betaine (Coconut derived), Disodium cocoamphodiacetate (Coconut derived), Sodium cocoyl sarcosinate (Coconut derived), Sodium lauroyl lactylate (Palm kernel and sugar derived), and Sodium lauroyl sarcosinate (Coconut derived)]. These naturally derived sudsing agents have a relatively large molecular structure, so that they will not penetrate the skin. Unlike sodium laureth/lauryl sulfates that have a relatively small molecular structure that easily penetrates the skin causing irritation and dryness. Petroleum-based Ingredients: We reject the use of ingredients such as , and . While petroleum is a naturally occurring substance, it is a non-renewable resource. Additionally, many of the hundreds of petroleum-based ingredients used widely in personal care products are considered objectionable or toxic by the Breast Cancer Fund and other environmental and health organizations. Raising the Bar: We strive to reach the highest standards in personal care products. As such, we are focused on the use of organic and natural plant source ingredients. We actively work to increase the organic acreage under cultivation and we anticipate a future National Organic Standard for personal care products, the standards of which Avalon will aim to go beyond. We also reject the use of parabens, harsh surfactants and petroleum-based ingredients. Additionally, we exclude the use of the following: *Note: Grapefruit Seed Extract in its purest form is a safe and beneficial ingredient. However, many companies claim to use this ingredient alone as a preservative. It does not have the long-lasting anti-microbial effectiveness required to maintain the integrity of a personal care product when used alone. Many studies show that the true anti-microbial benefits being attributed to Grapefruit Seed Extract are due to the presence of residual synthetic preservatives within the extract. |  Confused by unpronounceable ingredient names? Wondering why certain ingredients are used in your favorite products? Learn the ABC's of ingredients in our vast glossary. Read more.
Like the developed systems of nature, our Consciousness in Cosmetics program contains five key elements. Read more.
It's in our name. Avalon Organics. Organic agriculture is a fundamental necessity to sustaining our environment for generations to come. Read More.
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