I care about what I put on my face. You clicked
here, so I’m guessing you do too!
Brace yourself.
You just won’t believe what is in your
moisturizer!
A short story, that solved a mystery for me. Ingredient
labels were at one time were a big puzzle for
me. Some of the ingredients had names that
seemed made up (they actually are). Some were so
long they were unpronounceable.
I had someone tell me about her visit to the
back of a butcher
shop. She was friends with the butcher.
In her conversation with him as he worked, she
asked him what happened to all the leftovers she
noticed him discarding. The fat and all the
stuff that is cut off the beef and pork meat. He
pointed to a big covered vat. He said
there is a company that comes around every so
often and picks it up. He said he has to keep
the lid on all the time. By the time they come
around it smells pretty bad. She asked him what
they used it for. Why would anyone want this
stuff? The butcher laughed. That’s what they use
to make all those moisturizers the ladies all
smear on their face. Oh my God! That’s why those
names are so long.
How can that be? I’ve never seen
anything on any label for any moisturizer that
says anything about animal ingredients. They use
many other words for it. Stearic acid, stearates,
glycerin, and also many other chemicals (unless
it’s marked vegetable it is normally made from
animals).
There ought to be a law. Yes there
should be. But there isn’t. Manufacturers don’t
have to disclose the source of their
ingredients. They just need to tell you the
ingredients’ chemical names. That’s why they use
all the names that mean nothing to regular
people.
Stearic Acid. What is it? Stearates,
stearic acid and waxes along with glycerin work
to combine the oils and water together. They are
essential to make a smooth creamy moisturizer!
They are the reason moisturizers work so much
better than just using plain oil, is due to this
oil and water combination, which helps get the
oils down into the skin replace lost lipids.
Thereby moisturizing without that greasy
feeling. The Strearic Acids and the Glycerin and
Waxes can be
made from either vegetables or animals.
So why do they ALL use animal ingredients? They
cost a little less. Not much. But a few pennies
adds up though when you are selling millions of
jars and bottles. And up until recently no one
cared. In fact, almost no one knew. In fact,
unless a moisturizer says no animal derived
products, it is just about guaranteed they
used animal based products.
“I enjoy all of your products, and have done
so since I placed my first order with you.
I just celebrated another birthday, on the
14th of this month; I turned 67 … and
several people tell me that I do not look
it at all.
This pleases me greatly, and has a great
deal to do with the use of your products,
plus the fact that I rely on a number of
daily vitamins to keep me going.
Again thank you all your products.”
Sincerely,
Emma
1/27/08
“Dear clearandsmooth,
Thank-you sooo much for the product. I love
it!!! I have spent hundreds of $$$$ on a
good facial cream. Arden, Merle Norman, etc.
This works great,,,,first time in about 10
yrs that my make-up has stayed on face all
day. Also, my daughter has “Atopic
Dermitis…rough dry skin. She used it last
night and she didn’t scratch and itch all
night long. I will spread the news. Rita”
3/10/05
Most use this product at night. Since it absorbs
so well, not everyone finds this is a good
foundation for make up. Most find they wake in
the morming with soft and supple skin. But some
do use a thin layer during the day and love it.
Experiment.
“This is my 2nd order; and I love your
product! I, along with many others, have
been “sucked” in at the cosmetic counters
and have spent a small fortune on my skin.
This is as good as any product can get! ”
Kathleen
2/27/05
“This mousturizer makes my skin feel
fabulous! I wish I found this 15 years ago!
”
“This wonderful cream leaves my skin soft,
and nourished. A super value. “
” I had to write and tell you that I have
been using your moisturizer for just a week
now and already I see a remarkable change in
my skin. My combination skin is now one type
– healthy. It glows. I am 44 years old and
have been using moisturizers since I was 25
and this has to be the best one that I have
found. Even with all the different types of
oils in it, it is NOT greasy. Also the light
scent is wonderful. “
“Dear clearandsmooth,
The moisturizer is amazing!! I usually have
prblems with dry patches, but since I have
been using your cream, they seem to have
vanished! I’m usually sceptical and like to
prove things wrong, but there is nothing but
the RIGHT stuff here!!!! ”
Jennifer
11/1/04
Since 1999, we have been selling a skin
treatment product quite successfully on eBay.
One thing many of our customers asked for was a
good moisturizer we could recommend. So we
started looking for one we could just recommend.
We do that a lot with other products. But
everywhere we looked we saw these awful animal
based ingredients, mineral oil (which is in
everything), and paraben preservatives so
powerful that 20 years from now you could still
use product (God knows why?).
We did find a couple of boutique products we
liked. But they were incredibly expensive.
Little tiny jars. And we really weren’t all that
impressed with the quality or selection of
ingredients they did use.
So after many more requests from our customers
we set out to make the best moisturizer we could
make. Spare no expense, we wanted the best. And
cruelty free! We figured if our customers asked
for it, we knew there had to be a need. And even
with the best ingredients, we’d make it in a
large sizes that would last awhile and felt we
could get the price right selling direct without
all those middle men.
The funny thing about this moisturizer is at
first we didn’t advertise it. And we
noticed we were selling a lot of it. People
would just see it on our shopping cart on our
web site and buy when they were reordering our
Acne cleanser. We just figured people were
sampling it. We never really paid too much
attention, except we started noticing people
were reordering and posting additional comments
on our feedback forum about it. And emailing us
and mentioning how much they loved it. This led
us to decide to promote it on eBay. We think we
have a wonderful product here that a lot of
people love using and feel good about using.
We do not use Phthalates. Phthalates are used to
make plastics flexible and stabilize fragrances,
and are found in a plethora of consumer products
including toys, personal care products and
medical equipment. It is not a requirement for
manufacturers of moisturizers to disclose that
these are in their products. Although the fear
right now is the effect on babies in baby
products, we see no reason for this ingredient
to be used except for one reason: long, long
shelf life. Of course ALL of our products are
made and shipped fresh.
Did we skimp on anything? We talked with our
container supplier and he told us a funny story.
He said these big companies that make these
expensive moisturizers, spend a fortune
designing the jars. They do customer surveys and
use focus groups to pick the most desirable
container. He laughed and said that they put the
same ingredients inside, but their real focus is
on the look of the jar. So if the container is
what is important to you, this is not the
product for you!
Like we said, with these big boy’s, it’s all
about the Jars. The jars have just got to look
good. What’s inside, who cares. Put it into a
nice (small) jar and put a $235.00 price on it
and they will buy! Designer Moisturizers? What
are they going to think of next? Designer toilet
paper?
Look if you want a real nice moisturizer that
just melts into the skin and makes your skin
feel wonderful even the next day. Buy this!
If you want to feel good about what you are
putting on your face. And you’ll know no animal
died for your skin. Buy this!
If you want anyone who looks into your medicine
cabinet to think you are really cool and have
loads of money. Go to Neiman Marcus’ web site
and slap that $235.00 Natural Bisse on the
Discover Card and enjoy. When that jar is empty,
buy a jar of ours and put it in the empty jar
(you be able to fill their jar twice or more).
You’ll always be cool AND look good.
We use only the freshest,
highest quality ingredients
we can find.
Reverse Osmosis Purified
Water: When looking
at other skin care products
I always want to know how
the water they use is
purified(if at all). Is it
filtered? How small a
filter? Ozonated? Often the
devil is in the details. We
use only Reverse Osmosis
purified water. Reverse
Osmosis purified water is
the gold standard for being
clean and pure. So
if we are talking
microscopic differences why
is it important? Reverse
Osmosis water, we’ve found,
works better than any other
water to maximize the
potential of the precious
ingredients we use. It’s
expensive, but we believe
anything else is purely just
cutting corners.
Jojoba Oil (pronounced ho ho
ba): (Simmondsia
chinensis) Jojoba oil
consists of pure esters
extracted from organic
Jojoba seeds. We use a farm
grown variety grown in
Arizona. Pesticide free and
first pressing from the
finest seeds produced. First
pressing means this is sort
of like Extra Virgin. The
very best we can find. The
importance of Jojoba esters
derives from their
similarity to the natural
restorative esters produced
by the sebaceous glands in
the dermal layers in the
human skin.
Mango Butter: (Mangifera
indica) A luxurious
Butter imported from India
made from the seeds of the
Mango Fruit tree. We use
this butter purely for it’s
luxurious feel and
absorbency. It seems to help
carry the other oils deep
into the skin. You’ll only
find this is the quality
stuff and rarely a primary
ingredient.
Kukui Nut Oil: (Aleurites
moluccana) Kukui nut oil,
brought to Hawaii by early
Polynesian settlers, is
quickly absorbed into the
skin. Kukui nut oil is high
in linoleic and linolenic
essential fatty acids.
Excellent for skin
conditioning after sun
exposure, as well as for
acne, eczema, psoriasis,
hemorrhoids, dry/wrinkled
skin and offers good
protection for outdoor
sports. It offers just the
right amount of lubrication
without leaving a greasy
feeling. Excellent for
chapped skin and may prevent
scarring. It is very
expensive, but makes our
moisturizer extra special.
We use the good stuff too
from Hawaii (at about $140
gallon, it has to kept under
lock and key). To show you
how far we go to find the
best products, here is an
example. This Kukui Nut oil
is also available from other
countries at about half the
price, but it is solvent
extracted (if at all
possible, we don’t use
solvent extracted
ingredients, just expeller
pressed products, except
some of the essences are
only available that way).
Instead of a light sweet
smell, like the good stuff
from Hawaii, it has a heavy
chemical odor. We won’t
touch it.
Macadamia Nut Oil: (Macadamia
integrifolia) This tree is
native to Australia. Also
known as Queensland nut oil,
this cold pressed oil is
high in palmitoleic acid, a
monounsaturated fatty acid
that acts as an antioxidant,
preventing deterioration of
cell membranes. For mature
skin it is hydrating and
gentle. It is a skin
lubricant and is easily
absorbed by the skin,
sometimes described as a
“vanishing oil.” Helpful in
cases of sunburn and wound
healing.
Shea Butter; (Butyrospermum
parkii) World renown for
many incredible healing
properties, but not commonly
used here in the USA. The
Shea tree grows in the
wooded savannahs in west
Africa (Ghana, Mali and
Burkina Faso). The fruit is
harvested by the natives and
hand processed to the
finished butter product.
This is how we buy it. Often
times though you’ll find it
as a minor ingredient in
some supposedly high quality
moisturizers. We use a
special natural variety.
Most Shea Butter used here
in the USA is commercially
processed to remove the
natural color and odor, or
industrially extracted with
hexane solvent (a
carcinogen). Traces of
hexane can be in the
resulting Shea Butter.
Hexane extraction yields
more butter, but it is
odorless and white and quite
frankly about as good
mineral oil. Which as far as
we are concerned, is no
good! You can also feel good
about using this ingredient,
because income from Shea
helps poor women in West
Africa who hand make it in a
complicated process
involving boiling in water.
Hemp Seed Oil: (Cannabis
sativa) This is one of the
more effective skin-care
oils with a wonderful nutty
smell. Hemp seed oil is
derived from the seed of the
plant Cannabis sativa, best
known as the marijuana
plant, and least known for
its many productive uses. It
is dark and thick and gives
our product it’s slightly
green cast. Hemp seed oil
has none of the intoxicating
properties of the leaves.
Since hemp cannot be legally
grown in the U.S., the
supply of its oil is low and
the price high. Hemp seeds
produce a vegetable oil that
is high in protein and can
be used within a variety of
foods and cosmetics. Alpha
linolenic, linoleic and
oleic acids–the essential
fatty acids known as the
omegas–make up 88% of the
total fatty-acid content.
Its moisturizing properties
when used in proper
strengths are absolutely
magical.
Apricot Kernal Oil: (Armeniaca
vulgaris, Prunis armeniaca)
Apricot Kernel is a light
but rich oil which is
especially good for
sensitive skin, as well as
for and skin that is
inflamed or dry. It can be
used alone or in massage and
is used quite often in lip
balms and creams. It is
particularly helpful for
dehydrated, delicate, mature
or sensitive skin. It has a
high vitamin A content.
Vegetable Glycerin; is
a humectant. This means it
has the ability to draw
water right from the air and
bring it closer to your
skin. We use a Kosher
Variety made only from
vegetables. Yes some
companies use an Animal
based product made from
Animal Fat.
Emulsifying wax NF; This
is a vegetable based product
that helps bind the oils
together into a pleasing
emulsion.
Vegetable Stearic Acid; OK
if you read labels, you’ll
find this ingredient in many
cosmetics. It is really
essential to help bind oils
and waters together.
Unfortunately most companies
use a product made from
Animals. Yes most likely
cows or pigs. YUP! And
because most moisturizers
use just mineral oil they
need a lot of this stuff to
make it thick. Plus they
have to use a lot of
fragrances, because that
stuff stinks. We use a
Kosher variety made strictly
from vegetables. I’d like to
tell you it’s a lot more
expensive, but it’s really
about the same price, just a
little more. I don’t know
why they use that stuff.
REALLY! Maybe it works
better with Mineral oil. Who
knows? I guess if you sell a
million jars, a nickel
really adds up.
Citric Acid; natural
preservative plus it
balances the PH.
We also use 2 special non-paraben
preservatives(which are
vegetable derived):
Diazolidinyl Urea and
Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate they
are insurance against
mold and bacteria growth. We
like these preservatives
because they work in
extremely small quantities.
Much less than 1% (actually
it’s .2%) And they don’t
have the side effects in
some people that
preservatives like
Methylparaben or
Propylparaben have when
absorbed into the skin.
Real Natural Essences of
Lavender, Ylang Ylang,
Bergamot, Rosemary,
Sandalwood, Jasmine. Why
not use an artificial
fragrance like ALL the other
moisturizers’ use? For one
thing fragrances are cheaper
than real essences (that
can’t be a good sign).
Fragrances also have alcohol
in them and hundreds of
other unknown ingredients,
and quite frankly I
personally can’t handle
fragrances. I guess I am
allergic to them (and that
means others are too!). But
I’m not allergic or
sensitive to essences. I
love them! And just a little
goes a long way. Not
overpowering either.
We make this product fresh
on an as needed basis. We
don’t make 100’s of
thousands of jars ahead of
time, and then store it for
years at a time as most
moisturizers are made to
save money. I like to say
there is a bit of the art in
making this product. It can
only be made in small
batches of 200 Jars or
bottles. It is hand made and
mixed with care by our
master moisturizer maker.
Each ingredient must be
added in a certain order and
with the proper temperature
in mind. That’s why our
competition hasn’t
figured it out yet. (They
all use thickeners which
aren’t true moisturizers.)
Put this together wrong,
even using all the right
ingredients and it will be a
useless glop. We are so
picky that about 1 out of 5
batches has to be destroyed,
because they just don’t meet
our standards.
Does it feel greasy? No it
is luxurious and creamy. We
use absorbing oils and
butters. Not mineral oil.
Why do WE use exotic oils
and butters? The real
question everyone should be
asking is: Why are they not
used more often? They have
absolutely wonderful
properties and the longer
you use them the better your
skin feels. But they are
harder to work with on a
larger scale. And they do
vary in consistency. So more
supervision is needed. It’s
easy to have a minimum wage
worker just pour in a bucket
of mineral oil. Cook it with
waxes and binders. Load up
on a bunch of commercial
artificial preservatives so
it can sit on a shelf for 3
or 4 years until someone
comes along and likes the
pretty jar well enough to
buy it ‘On Sale’.
FRESH MADE Our moisturizer
is always shipped fresh.
Even though our
preservatives are powerful
enough, we don’t want you to
guess how long ago it was
made.