Precautionary Principle

Safety always comes first in the formulation of our products. We use the precautionary principle – if there’s any doubt about the safety of an ingredient for people’s health or the environment, we will find a safer alternative.

What is the precautionary principle?
The best definition we’ve found, comes from SEHN

When an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically. In this context the proponent of the activity, rather than the public should bear the burden of proof.

There are 2 common arguments against the precautionary principle;

It’s unscientific!
The principle is based on science and requires more to be done so that general assurances of safety are replaced by solid evidence.

It’s anti progress!
The principle is about the burden of proof, it places more responsibility for safety on those who stand to profit rather than on those who will bear the costs if things go wrong.

Putting the precautionary principle into practice.
When we select ingredients we don’t use any that we consider unsafe or unnecessary, in fact there are even some natural ingredients that we won’t use if there’s doubt about their safety. Our ingredient selection is based on in-depth research, using trusted international sources such as the EWG Cosmetic Database to help us assess the health and safety impact of every ingredient.
We also carry out comparative ingredient assessments of every product against leading brand alternatives to ensure we achieve significantly safer ratings for people’s health and the environment.

Ever wondered what we’ve got in common with guinea pigs? More than we think – take a look at our blog.