WE SAY NO TO SUSPICIOUS INGREDIENTS

Almost every single conventional skin care and cosmetic product (even “unscented” ones) contains synthetic/artificial fragrances. Manufacturers aren’t required to reveal what’s actually in their fragrances (trade secret), so you’ll simply see “Fragrance” or “Parfum” on the ingredients’ list, when it could actually be a cocktail of carcinogens, allergens, endocrine disruptors, and irritants.

At Young Carpo, we made a conscious choice to not use (not now, nor never) synthetic fragrances. Instead, we use a natural aroma for all our skin care formulations; a heavenly mix of Mediterranean citrus fruit and freshly cut grass!

Used in a plethora of personal care and skin care products, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS/SLES) are surfactants, i.e. they attract both oil and water, so they are really effective in washing away dirt from your skin. They are also good foaming agents, responsible for turning liquids into foamy lather.

But if sulfates are so effective, why are they considered harmful? As it turns out, they can be too effective at washing away oil, stripping skin from its natural oils and making it feel dry and “tight”.

Sulfates are also known to cause skin irritations and redness or trigger allergies.

In brief, sulfates are potential irritants, so we have replaced them with natural ingredients that do the job just as well without irritating your skin.

Phthalates are a family of chemical compounds primarily used to make PVC, or vinyl, flexible and pliant. They are also used as solvents or fixatives.

They are in hundreds of products you use every day; from perfume, nail polish, soap, shampoo and skin moisturisers to household cleaners and food. Colourless and odourless, they are next to impossible to avoid, lurking in unexpected places.

Examples of phthalates include: DBP, DEHP, DEP and others. Despite inconclusive research, scientists suspect that phthalates are endocrine disruptors and can cause hormonal and reproductive problems, as well as birth defects.

When science is in doubt about potential harm caused by the use of specific ingredients, rest assured we will not use them in any of Young Carpo’s formulations.

Boy, does the beauty industry love villains! Be it parabens, sulfates, etc., the list of bad guys becomes longer by the minute.

Silicone, an ingredient widely used in skin care and cosmetic formulas in order to give products a soft, smooth finish, is one of those villains. Despite the fact that there isn’t enough scientific evidence to back up claims such as clogging pores, causing acne and congestion, etc., we at Young Carpo have banned them from our product formulations. Granted, they are great for primers, because of their velvety feel, but we prefer to use natural ingredients, such as mastic gum, which delivers the same benefits without the ubiquity behind it.

In addition, certain silicones (synthetic) are harmful to the environment due to their inability to biodegrade. So, nah, silicones are not for us!