Why I am passionate about ingredients

If you've been following me for a while you'll know that I am a health nerd. 

Anytime I hear of a new topic, ingredient or health habit I look into it - especially if it can benefit or even drastically change my life. 

When it comes to cosmetics - it all started when I started to think about my fertility. 
This was when I was still dancing Ballet everyday, wearing makeup and even perfume to dance class and rehearsals. 
Ballet has unwritten rules where you need to be presentable, and smell good, especially if you are dancing with a group or a partner. 

Once I had my diet down, I began to look into other aspects of my life:
- body care products
- skincare products
- clothing
- cleaning products
- candles, home sprays
- kitchenware

Everything really... until I finally landed on cosmetics.

I was wearing these everyday because they worked, especially since I was moving all day and sweating. 

After I realized this I looked into common ingredients used in cosmetics, especially the cheaper ones. I learned that it breaks down to this: 
Around 50% of your common drugstore cosmetic product is derived from Petroleum and plastic. 

Crude oil byproduct --> turned petroleum --> processed to almost anything which can be used to make a cosmetic. 
Here are some ingredient names derived from petroleum and what they are used for: 

1. Petrolatum (Petroleum Jelly)
Use: Skin protectant, moisturizer, ointment base.
Processing: Derived from the waxy semi-solid byproducts of crude oil distillation; further refined and decolorized using filtration and vacuum distillation.

2. Mineral Oil
Use: Moisturizer in cosmetics, laxative in pharmaceuticals, lubricant.
Processing: Obtained from the lighter fractions of crude oil distillation; purified via solvent extraction and hydrotreatment.

3. Paraffin Wax
Use: Candles, cosmetics (lipsticks, balms), coatings.
Processing: Solid residue from crude oil refining; separated from lubricating oil stocks, then de-oiled and bleached.

4. Microcrystalline Wax
Use: Lipsticks, ointments, adhesives, coatings.
Processing: Heavier crude oil fractions undergo vacuum distillation; refined to remove oil, then hydrogen treated.

5. Vaseline (a form of petrolatum)
Use: Emollient, wound protector.
Processing: Similar to petrolatum but with additional filtration and purification.

6. Propylene Glycol
Use: Humectant, solvent, preservative in foods and cosmetics.
Processing: Byproduct of petroleum cracking → propylene; hydrated with water under heat and pressure.

7. Polyethylene Glycol (PEGs)
Use: Emulsifier, surfactant, solvent in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
Processing: Ethylene oxide (from crude oil ethylene) polymerized with water or alcohol to form PEGs.

8. Parabens (Methylparaben, Propylparaben, etc.)
Use: Preservatives in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
Processing: Made from p-hydroxybenzoic acid (derived from toluene, a crude oil fraction) esterified with petroleum-derived alcohols.

9. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)
Use: Surfactant in soaps, shampoos, detergents.
Processing: Petroleum-derived lauryl alcohol (via ethoxylation of ethylene) → sulfated with sulfur trioxide → neutralized with sodium hydroxide.

10. Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)
Use: Foaming agent in shampoos and body washes.
Processing: Similar to SLS but with ethoxylation (ethylene oxide) to make it milder.

11. Toluene
Use: Nail polish solvent, paint thinner, chemical feedstock.
Processing: Extracted from catalytic reforming of petroleum naphtha.

12. Xylene
Use: Solvent, paint thinner, chemical intermediate.
Processing: Obtained from catalytic reforming of petroleum and coal tar distillation.

13. Benzene (less direct use in cosmetics, more industrial)
Use: Precursor for many ingredients like styrene, nylon, resins.
Processing: Catalytic reforming of crude oil naphtha fractions.

14. Ethylene
Use: Building block for plastics, PEGs, polyethylene, solvents.
Processing: Steam cracking of naphtha or ethane from crude oil/natural gas.

15. Propylene
Use: Base for polypropylene plastics, propylene glycol.
Processing: Steam cracking of petroleum hydrocarbons or as a byproduct of fluid catalytic cracking.

16. Butylene Glycol
Use: Humectant in cosmetics, solvent, preservative booster.
Processing: Derived from petroleum-based propylene through hydroformylation and hydrogenation.

17. Isopropyl Alcohol
Use: Antiseptic, solvent, cleaner.
Processing: Propylene (from crude oil) hydrated using sulfuric acid or direct catalytic hydration.

18. Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (synthetic versions)
Use: Emollient in cosmetics, skin-conditioning agent.
Processing: Often coconut-derived, but synthetic versions come from petroleum fatty acids esterified with glycerin.

19. Dimethicone (Silicone Oil, petroleum-based precursor)
Use: Skin protectant, conditioner in cosmetics.
Processing: Petroleum-derived silica reduced to elemental silicon → reacted with methyl chloride (from natural gas/petroleum) → polymerized.

20. Polyethylene (PE)
Use: Microbeads (now banned in many places), packaging, emulsifying agents.
Processing: Polymerization of ethylene monomers from petroleum steam cracking.

And why am I against these ingredients? 
During the refining process when crude oil is refined into each of the different ingredients listed above, the process involves high heat and catalysts (substance that speeds up chemical reactions). During this process it can leave behind impurities such as PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), residual solvents, or unreacted monomers. 
These can lead to endocrine disruption/hormonal imbalances. 
It works because the impurities mimic hormones (estrogen-like effects).

Any how long story short - because most of the ingredients used in your average cosmetics are petroleum derived, especially if it's a lip product, you are directly ingesting the ingredients. 
When I was wearing lipstick, especially lip gloss (my favorite) I would take a sip of water and swallow half of my lip product, then I would go and re-apply more of it. Not great.

I stopped wearing these products, and started looking for alternatives. Ultimately I didn't want to compromise, as many products did still have at least 1 - 2 things  I didn't love.

And that's how my brand started. 

(Bow)