Q. What is glycerin and why do you use it?
Glycerin is a threefold alcohol found in every fat. We use glycerin derived from rapeseed oil. This ingredient is produced through the saponification process of vegetable oil and soap. It regulates the absorption and release of water, softening and smoothing the skin.
Q. Why do some of your skin care and medicine products contain alcohol?
In homoeopathic medicines and tinctures, alcohol is traditionally used to draw out the vital life forces of a plant to create a botanical extract in a specific concentration. Alcohol is also used as a natural preservative in our formulations. We use organic grain alcohol, which is naturally derived from fermented plant sugars. We do not use Methyl or Propyl alcohol—also known as rubbing alcohol.
Q. Why do you use alcohol in your medicines?
Traditionally, homoeopathic and herbal tinctures were made using a water and alcohol (ethanol) mixture. This stems from a time when herbs were extracted by soaking them in wine or spirits. Water and ethanol mixes are still the most common extraction method for tinctures and are now standard pharmaceutical practice.
One important reason ethanol is used in the production of Weleda remedies is that ethanol is able to extract more active ingredients than other substances used for extraction, such as glycerin or water. With a wider range of active ingredients present, the end product is more effective.
Another advantage of using alcohol for tinctures is that it acts as a preservative - bacteria, yeasts and molds generally do not grow in an ethanol concentration of approximately 20% or greater. Another advantage of ethanol is that once it is ingested, it loses its preservative effect; therefore, it does not damage beneficial intestinal flora.
The small amounts of ethanol taken in when using homoeopathic or herbal products are generally recognized as harmless. For example, the standard 10 drop (or 0.5 ml) dose contains 2 drops (80 mg) of ethanol. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that a newborn (6.6 lb) baby, should be given no more than 3 ml of ethanol in a single dose. This is about 30 times greater than the amount in a dose of herbal or homeopathic products. In comparison, an average slice of bread contains between 100 mg and 200 mg of ethanol.
Q. Why do you use alcohol in your skin care products?
We use organic grain alcohol in many of our Weleda creams, lotions and cleansers. It is needed to extract the active components of the herbs and other plants used in products. Additionally, alcohol improves the consistency and the stability of products. The stabilising effect is important as we do not use any synthetic preservatives in any Weleda products.
Alcohol has some benefits for the skin; it is a mild disinfectant and is also cooling. The alcohol content in Weleda skincare products does not harm the acid mantle, the skin’s natural oily cover. We use low concentrations of alcohol in our creams, lotions and cleansers and at these low concentrations, alcohol has been shown to be well tolerated on the skin, even on sensitive baby skin.
In line with Weleda’s holistic approach to personal care, our products derive their effect from the sum of their components and not from any individual ingredient. We have performed safety and efficacy tests on all our products to ensure that under normal or reasonably foreseeable conditions the use of our products is safe and will provide the claimed effects.
We use organic grain alcohol, which is naturally derived from fermented plant sugars. We do not use Methyl or Propyl alcohol—also known as rubbing alcohol.
Q. Why Weleda Skin Care?
Since 1921, Weleda has pioneered the use of biodynamic and organic ingredients in skincare and medicines to promote natural harmony and health. Our purest ingredients—natural, organic, biodynamic and wild crafted—come directly from nature and are cultivated with the loving hands of dedicated farmers throughout the world. We create premier, naturally therapeutic skincare that captures the power and potency of nature. When you care for your skin with our soothing preparations, you will experience a vitality that only nature can bring.
Q. How do you colour and fragrance your products?
Our products are naturally coloured with the essential plant extracts that make-up each pure formula. All formulas are naturally fragranced with essential oils and plant extracts. We do not use any synthetic colours or fragrances.
Q. What is lanolin and why do you use it?
Lanolin is a wax derived from the wool of sheep. The process of extracting this wool does not harm the sheep in any way, as the shearing of wool is a natural and necessary process. Weleda uses the highest quality lanolin from sheep in Australia and New Zealand. It is cleaned to remove any pesticide residues. This beneficial ingredient contains natural fats that give it an affinity to the skin, making it an ideal moisturizer. We use lanolin to nourish and protect the skin.
Q. Why do you use lactose in some of your products?
Weleda uses lactose as the carrier for our homeopathic medicines in the Baby Teething Powder. Sometimes we get asked whether a baby with lactose intolerance are able to use our teething powder. Congenital lactase deficiency is an extremely rare disorder in which the small intestine produces little or no lactase enzyme from birth. This is a very serious disorder because it means that the baby can’t digest lactose in breast milk. In order to thrive, babies who have this condition need a special diet from the time they’re born. Unless a baby has this disorder, you can be confident to prescribe these products to babies and young children. Secondary lactose intolerance caused by not enough lactase being produced usually only develops after the age of three.
Q. Do you use any synthetic ingredients?
We use only natural oils and plant extracts. All Weleda products are FREE of synthetic preservatives, fragrances, colorants and raw materials derived from mineral oils, as well as genetically modified organisms (GMO's). Our products are instead FULL of the highest quality, pure and natural ingredients for your body.
Q. What is magnesium aluminium silicate and why do you use it?
Magnesium aluminium silicate (fuller’s earth) is a naturally occurring mineral. Its name is the standard label applied to natural earth of various origins. Other commonly known names for this ingredient are hectorite, kaolin and white clay. This clay serves as a natural thickener commonly used to hold ingredients together, providing a moisture-binding effect. The molecules of magnesium aluminium silicate are too large to be absorbed through the skin, and it is a dermatologically well-tolerated material. This clay helps to remove impurities from the skin when used in our skincare products and it works as a gentle polisher in our toothpastes.
Q. How do you preserve your formulations?
All of our premier formulations are preserved with natural ingredients. We use organic grain alcohol, natural essential oils and pure plant extracts to maintain the life of our products. Furthermore, our unique and recyclable packaging protects each formulation and helps to prevent against oxidation. As a result of these naturally effective preservation techniques, it is not necessary to refrigerate our products. All product life information can be found on the inner and outer packaging.
Q. Why do you use seed and nut oils in your products?
Plants oils, derived from seeds, nuts and fruits, gently care for and nourish your skin. Unlike petroleum-based mineral oils, plant oils help support and balance your skin’s moisture and oxygen levels and most closely match your skin’s natural make up. Your body can easily use the fatty acids and beneficial properties within each oil to stay beautiful and healthy.
Q. What is the INCI?
The International Nomenclature for Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) is the system we have adopted for labelling and declaring our skincare ingredients. The multilingual and multinational labelling requirements implemented by the European Union require a full declaration of ingredients on personal care packaging. This labelling standard denotes all ingredients according to their Latin (Chemical / Scientific) designation. Those manufacturers following the INCI are therefore required to label their ingredients as specified by the regulatory board. All companies selling personal care products in Europe, and most recently in Canada, are required by law to list their ingredients according to the INCI.
All ingredients are listed by their quantity of presence—greatest to least—in the product. Due to its full ingredient disclosure policy, the INCI standards strive to help you, the consumer, make informed and healthy purchases, helping you avoid any ingredients to which you may be allergic.
Q. What is Biodynamic agriculture and why do you employ this cultivation method?
Biodynamic and organic farming methods are similar to one another in that they both work to enhance the soil and cultivate plants that are free of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Biodynamic cultivation, however, goes a step further—beyond organic. Homeopathic preparations are used to enhance the vitality of the plants. Each plant is harvested by hand at its peak, according to the season, time of day, and position of the planets in the universe. At Weleda, we view the earth as an interconnected living organism. Plants, animals and human beings have an inherent and beautiful relationship with one another and their surroundings. Our philosophy—Cultivating Beauty—lies deep within the principle of Biodynamics. Visit Our Biodynamic Gardens to learn more.
Q. How are natural essential oils denoted on your packaging?
According to the INCI labelling standards, all fragrances—which for us represent all natural essential oils—are prefaced and denoted by* (from natural essential oils).
According to the European Union Mediation Committee’s 2005 resolution, 26 fragrances—present in over 10ppm (parts per million)—found to cause allergies in sensitive individuals, must be declared on all personal care ingredient listings. These fragrances are listed by their individual components according to their chemical names. As a result, Rose Oil, for instance, which contains over 400 components, many of which have not even been discovered, is no longer listed as “Rose Oil” on the packaging, but by its individual parts, such as “Geraniol”.
While only 1-3% of the population has been found to have any allergy to a fragrance, this regulation has been implemented in order to inform those consumers will allergies of all ingredients that make up a product. Most often, a person is not allergic to the complete fragrance / essential oil, such as Rose Oil, but rather its components.
We use all natural essential oils. By EU law, these natural ingredients are listed under the same name and designations as their synthetic counterparts, regardless of their origin. Natural essential oils—particularly when blended with other essential oils, rather than in isolated form—are generally well-tolerated by the skin and provide numerous physical and psychological benefits.
Q. Do you use allergy-tolerated wheat starch or gluten in your products?
Gluten, the protein found in wheat and other grains, poses as an allergy concern for some people. As a natural component of wheat, it is found in some of the ingredients we use in our products. Many of our skin care products include small quantities of organic alcohol derived from organic wheat. A few products are also formulated with Triticum Vulgare (Wheat Germ) Oil. We cannot guarantee that these ingredients are entirely free of all traces of gluten.
Many of our tablets contain wheat starch in a presence of up to 25 mg per tablet. In regards to associated allergy-concerns for those suffering from Celiac Disease, according to the German Celiac Disease Society, after washing out the albumen fraction from the wheat flour, the resulting pure wheat starch—containing less than .05% residual nitrogen (the so-called primary wheat starch)—may be declared as being gluten-free.
At this time, we cannot guarantee that our raw materials do not come in contact with gluten-containing ingredients. If you have a gluten sensitivity or allergy, we recommend you consult with your medical practitioner before using any of our products containing these ingredients.
Q. How do you test the efficacy of your products?
We do not test our ingredients or skincare products on animals. It is unnecessary for us to do so, as the plant materials that makeup our pure formulations have been used internally and externally for countless centuries. Long before animal-testing was introduced, all “testing” was done on humans, establishing a system of trial and error. Thus, many materials were established as safe and effective. As a result, Weleda's use of raw materials has a long history of safe usage. We ensure that our biodynamically grown ingredients and those provided by our partners have not been tested on animals.
Q. Are Weleda products cruelty free?
We get asked all the time about animal testing and whether our natural and organic cosmetics are cruelty free. The answer is yes they most certainly are! Weleda has never tested any of its individual ingredients nor finished beauty products on animals. We don't carry any bunny symbols on our packs because we are a global brand with international packaging, instead we have the NATRUE seal on our products. Animal testing is fundamentally against our and NATRUE's underlying values and ethics.
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