Surfactants, phthalates, sulfates, parabens and synthetic fragrances are just some of the secret ingredients that make their way into supermarket household cleaning products.
In our recent blog post we shared why we ditched these supermarket products within our homes, but glossed over what these ingredients actually are and why they’re not good for you.
In this post, we are shining the light on surfactants and synthetic fragrances.
Surfactants
They’re what you find in regular cleaning products, because they lower the surface tension of water. This makes the water molecules slipperier and less likely to stick to themselves, therefore, more likely to interact with oil and grease.
Clever? Maybe. Not that bad? Think again.
Surfactants are usually made from fatty acids, synthesised from petroleum and full of preservatives. This makes them toxic and often the cause of sensitivity problems, both on the skin and internally. Their makers don’t want you to know that they’re slipping these into their products though, so often you’ll see them disguised by names such as SLS, SCS and Cocamidopropyl Betaine.
Because surfactants are both drying, and do little for your health or the environment, we don’t use them in our products.
Instead, our products are made from pure vegetable oils- Sodium Cocoate (derived from organic coconut oil) and Potassium Oleate (derived from organic sunflower oil). Naturally high in PH, our products kill the bugs, without the need for preservatives, petroleum derivatives or harsh side effects - you don’t even have to use gloves when you clean.
Synthetic Fragrances
Synthetic fragrances are mixtures of various chemicals that produce a desired scent. Often it will take 200 chemicals, in a lab, to create a single scent. According to a report by the National Academy of Sciences, they found that up to 95% of the chemicals used in synthetic fragrances are derived from petroleum and include carcinogenic toxic chemicals, linked to cancer, birth defects and allergic reactions. A similar study, by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that synthetic fragrances were often shown to contain hormone disruptors linked to abnormal cell reproduction.
So, we choose to fragrance our products differently.
Santosa products not only smell good, but provide the additional benefits of 100% therapeutic essential oils, benefitting both body and mind. While there’s cheaper ‘cosmetic essential oils’ available on the market, we pay the extra to get the therapeutic quality of each botanical, because it just makes sense to us.
The Santosa Difference
When we created Santosa, we made the decision to be different. Different from the companies selling chemicals and different to those claiming to be ‘natural’.
It wasn’t even ok for us to just intend to be better.
We had to create products that we were proud of, and happy to use on and around our family. There was no room to hide behind long words, pretty labels or superficial claims. It was all or nothing.
Transparency became the foundation for us. That’s why we use only a handful of carefully selected ingredients in our products.
Every day we’re in business, we continue to make a choice.
We choose no preservatives, no synthetic chemicals, no fillers and no palm oil-derived ingredients.
Instead, we choose safe, beneficial, yet effective ingredients that are kind to the planet, and more importantly, to you.
For us, being different is more than just ok - it’s why we do it.