Kids say the darndest things – especially when they’re trying to get away with something. And
marketers can be equally as wily (but not nearly as cute). We’re not trying to pull the wool over
your eyes, so here’s what we mean when we say...
Biodegradable means something is capable of decomposing into elements found in nature.
According to the Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guides, a company can make a general
(unqualified) degradable claim if the item can be expected to completely decompose within one
year after customary disposal. “Customary disposal” is the key phrase here, since most things
end up in landfills where biodegradation does not typically occur. When we use the term “biodegradable”
we offer a qualification that defines what we mean by it as it applies to any given product.
We use the Leaping Bunny definition of “cruelty-free” which means we do not conduct or
commission animal tests, and do not use any ingredient or formulation that is tested on animals.
Eco-friendly is an incredibly vague, but popular marketing claim with no standard definition.
When we choose to use this term, we specify what makes the product better for the planet than
comparable, conventional products.
Our “Goodbye to” (aka "Made without") lists are a brief outline of what we avoid when making specific products. Sometimes it's for health risk reasons. Sometimes it's for environmental reasons. Sometimes it's just because of consumer demand. It does not necessarily mean "100% free-of" – it means we have not intentionally added it to the product.
Natural fragrance means the scent profile is created with natural raw materials like essential oils
and isolates (chemicals that have been isolated from a botanical).
In the EU, a nanomaterial is defined as “a natural, incidental or manufactured material
containing particles, in an unbound state or as an aggregate or as an agglomerate and where,
for 50% or more of the particles in the number size distribution, one or more external
dimensions is in the size range 1 nanometer – 100 nanometer." The concern with nanoparticles is that we don’t fully understand the health and environmental implications. Because of this, we
choose to use non-nano ingredients.
USDA certified organic foods and ingredients are grown and processed according to federal
guidelines addressing, among many factors, soil quality, animal welfare, pest and weed control,
and use of additives.
A lot of common ingredients and materials are petroleum-based, which is a non-renewable,
unsustainable resource. We look for alternatives derived from renewable, natural resources.
When an ingredient is created using raw materials from plants, we consider it plant-based or
plant-derived. We consider a product plant-based or plant-derived when the majority of the final
formula is made up of plant or plant-derived ingredients.
Tear-free means the product has been formulated to be extra gentle. It doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t irritate eyes - because even plain water
can be irritating to eyes. Our Shampoo and Body Wash has been tested for ocular (eye) irritation and had similar results as the leading tear-free formulas. That said, everyone is different and may be more or less sensitive to things like this. If you have any concerns, we recommend consulting your health care provider.
Vegan means a product does not contain any animal ingredients or animal-derived ingredients.
This includes, but is not limited to, honey, beeswax, lanolin, gelatin, and more.
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