New Formulation Developments
Pacific Direct has sourced organic & natural ingredients for several years, and natural formulations have been created by our R&D team for the past 18months. The premier consideration will always be the safety of the product and performance.
All of our naturally formulated products have been developed with the aim of excluding the two most reviled ingredients:
1. Parabens
Parabens are the most widely used preservatives in cosmetic products. Typically, more than one paraben is used in a product, and they are often used in combination with other types of preservatives to provide preservation against a broad range of micro-organisms. The use of mixtures of parabens allows the use of lower levels while increasing preservative activity. The controversy surrounding parabens focuses on their alleged oestrogenic activity and potential carcinogenicity, and is based on a single study published in 2004.
Pacific Direct's Chemist uses alternative preservatives (approved in the EU Cosmetic Directive) to Parabens, wherever possible for our products.
2. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)
SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) is a chemical surfactant (incorrectly used as a synonym for Sodium Laureth Sulfate); This detergent removes oil and dirt from hair and skin. It also alters water surface tension, creating a lather that aids the even distribution of the product.
Global media agencies have questioned the safety of SLS, claiming it to be carcinogenic and an irritant. Cosmetic Ingredient Review http://www.cir-safety.org/ (an independent company affiliated with the US Food and Drug Administration agency) has fully assessed the safety of SLS. Though found to be a skin irritant, it was denied that it would have any carcinogenic properties and deemed safe in rinse-off products.
SLES, though able to cause irritation in high concentration, (as with any detergent) was found to be absolutely safe as presently used in cosmetic products. Pacific Direct uses only SLES (Sodium Laureth Sulfate), which has been proven to be the safer of the two ingredients.
Read more about our environmental policy and our impact on society online.
