The aim of The Plant Project is to reintroduce natural, healthy ingredients into our lives, eliminating toxins and harmful ingredients that do not benefit our bodies or our environment.
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What we put on our skin can be absorbed into our bloodstream. The aim of The Plant Project is to create products healthy enough you could eat them, derived from organic sources as often as possible with the least amount of processing.
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As we become more interested eating healthy, natural foods, the next step is to improve what we breathe in, and what we put into our skin.
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Jennifer Minchau
Founder
Ingredients we avoid
Aqua (Water)
Water is usually the number one ingredient in most cosmetics. This is mainly because it makes the product inexpensive to produce. Unfortunately, mould and bacteria love water, so it becomes necessary to add anti-microbial preservatives to ensure your product does not spoil.
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Water, with a pH of 7, is not particularly beneficial for your skin, as your skin has a pH between 4.5-5.5 so water increases the pH, which can reduce the skins ability to fight bacteria.
Sulfates (SLS)
Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate (SLS) is a known irritant of the skin and eyes, and it can be contaminated with Ethylene oxide, a known carcinogen. It is usually the second most present ingredient in most shampoos and hand soaps.
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The purpose of SLS is to enhance the production of bubbles during the lathering process. This does not actually improve the functionality of the soap, but makes you perceive that it is working better.
Parabens
Methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben and isobutylparaben, are found in many cosmetics. Their function is to prevent the growth of bacteria necessitated by using Aqua as the primary ingredient. There is debate about how unsafe they are, with some studies showing evidence of paragons contributing to the development of cancerous tumours, especially breast cancer.
Comedones
A comedone is a plug of debris filling a skin pore. Comedones trap the oil that normally flows out of pores, leaving it at risk for infection, when blemishes surface.
Some oils are known to be comedogenic (forming comedones) which is why oils have gotten a bad reputation in the past few decades, but in fact, there are many natural oils that are non-comedogenic and do wonders to keep your skin hydrated. The site below helps guide you when making decisions about which oils to put on your skin, and especially your face.