Living
Nature Ideals
 Living Nature's
Statement:
We are determined to
bring you the purest and most
natural skincare possible, and give you the
following
promises:
- No
Synthetic Preservatives
- No
ingredients we consider potentially harmful
- No
Mineral Oils
- No
Irradiated Ingredients
- No
Herbicide or Pesticide Residues
- No
Genetically Modified Ingredients
- No
Animal Ingredients
- No
Animal Testing
- Always
Use High Quantities of Bioactive Ingredients
- Only
Use Recyclable, Reusable, Reduced Packaging
No Synthetic
Preservatives or
Parabens
We go to great lengths, and collaborate with world
renowned
and respected scientists, to find and test the most
natural
and beneficial plant derived ingredients, honeys and
naturally occurring minerals to use in our products.
This
does not mean we believe synthetic chemicals are bad
for
you, but that we have chosen not to use them in our
skincare....... Synthetic preservatives
and synthetic parabens are something that we choose
not to
use in our products.. The Living Nature preservative
system
is a synergy of several potent plant extracts which
are
strong antioxidants, bactericides and fungicides.
Because
the Living Nature preservative is natural the
product does
require more care and has a shorter shelf life than
products
preserved with synthetic parabens.
The preservatives most commonly used in cosmetic
products
are methyl paraben, ethyl paraben and propyl paraben
and
their derivatives and they are very effective
preservatives.
Sudies have indicated, however, that synthetic
parabens can
be absorbed into the skin tissue (Kitagawa et al
1997) and
taken up by the blood stream (Kiwada et al 1979).
They have
also been shown to mimic oestrogenic activity
(Routledge et
al 1998). There is evidence on the role of oestrogen
and
other hormones on the growth and development of
breast
cancer (Bilimoria et al. 1999, Prasad et al 2003.
The studies did not conclude with certainty how
parabens are
getting into our bloodstream and major organs or
that they
are a cause of cancer. But they do conclude that
further
research is required. “Although the CIR expert panel
considered the effects of butylparaben they have not
considered the more recent data on oestrogenicity
and so
synthetic parabens have not been considered in risk
assessments to date” (Harvey and Philippa Darbre J)
References:
Kitigawa S, Li H, Sato S. 1997 Chem. Pharm. Bull
(Tokyo) 45:
1354-1357
Kiwada, H Awazu S, Hanano M. 1979 J.
Pharmacobio-Dyn. 2:
356-364
Routledge EJ, Parker J, Odum J Ashby J, Sumpter JP
1998
Toxicol. Pharmacol. 153: 12-19
Billmoria MM et al Ann. Surg. Oncol. 6: 200-207
Prasad et al Cancer 98: 2539-2546
Harvey et al Appl. Toxicol. 24: 167-176 (2004).
No Mineral Oils
Both petrochemically derived mineral oils, or
synthetically
made mineral oils, asphyxiate the skin, blocking
pores. They
are often used because they are cheap and have a
very nice
initial skin feel. The skin needs to respire, and
many
dry skin conditions are soothed by the immediate
feeling of
a mineral oil which allows the skin to move more
elastically, but they do not provide nutrients and
just mask
the condition which gradually gets worse.
No Irradiated
Ingredients
Irradiation is standard practice in many countries
trying to
make sure no foreign bacteria, flora or fauna enters
the
country. Unfortunately this kills off all enzyme
activity in
a raw material, and leaves a residue of radiation.
Irradiation is the process of exposing material to
radiation, either in X Ray or Ultra Violet light
forms. Used
in the food industry in order to kill bacteria and
extend
shelf life, the radiation in fact kills the
vitamins,
friendly bacteria and enzymes. Effectively this
renders the
food dead and useless to the body. The friendly
bacteria
naturally control the growth of harmful bacteria,
but when
removed will allow some bad bacteria to give rise to
even
more dangerous, radiation resistant bacteria
strains.
Radiation-resistant strains of bacteria have been
developed
under laboratory conditions and scientists found
that one
particular bacteria can survive a radiation dose
five times
that which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
will allow
for beef. Scientists exposed this bacteria to 10 and
15
kilograys of radiation for several hours, enough
radiation
to kill a person several thousand times over. The
bacteria
survived.
The FDA's approved irradiation dosage is 450,000
rads,
approximately 150 million times greater than that of
a chest
x-ray. High levels of benzene, and also new
chemicals known
as "unique radiolytic products" were identified by
U.S Army
tests as carcinogenic and shown to induce genetic
toxicity.
FDA's claims of "safety" are based on grossly
inadequate
tests which fail to meet the minimal standards and
were
rebutted by the agencies own expert committees.
No Herbicide or
Pesticide Residues
We abide by the internationally recognised BDIH
certification criteria for natural cosmetics (ref.
www.bdih.com). Many of our plants are organic
wildcrafted,
which means they have been grown and harvested in
the wild
where there have never been any sprays or chemicals
introduced. Because they are grown in the wild they
cannot
be certified as organic. When we purchase
ingredients,
we are not always able to get organic products (due
to small
supply and great demand), so everything is tested
for
herbicide and pesticides. We accept no level!
No Genetically
Modified Ingredients
See our Vital Planet Issues link for more on
remaining GE
Free
No Animal
Ingredients
We do not agree with killing animals for beauty's
sake and
avoid using any animal derived ingredients in our
products.
No Animal Testing
We believe it is unnecessary to test on animals and
that it
is also unscientific, as many animals do not have
similar
immune systems or skin tissue to humans. Today cells
can be
cultivated in vitro for testing purposes and we have
used
this methodology to assess some of our own
ingredients. We
have not had any of our products tested on animals
nor have
we asked anyone else to do so.
Our products
contain high quantities of bioactive
ingredients
Contain high quantities of bioactive ingredients,
particularly the unique medicinal plants and manuka
honey
native to New Zealand.
We only use
recyclable, reusable, reduced
packaging
We are committed to reducing waste globally and
minimize the
amount of packaging we use as far as possible. We
are
committed to recycling and use recyclable glass or
the most
recyclable plastic that we can, encouraging our
customers to
make use of their local recycling centers. We avoid
papers
with dioxins and chlorines as far as possible.
Ultimately we'll do our best to research and find
the
healthiest and most natural ingredients possible.
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