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The Hope Street Way
GOOD FOR PEOPLE
 GOOD FOR THE PLANET A Rough Guide The Whole Story  On this page are just some of the things which we thought you should know or might like to know about Hope Street: We realise that there might be other issues which are important to you. If so, please get in touch via info@hope-street.com and we’ll do our best to answer any enquiries.
All of our products are independently tested and are certified under the provisions of The Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations 2008. We use plant-derived oils which are renewable and from sustainable sources, and which support the growers’ work. Although they are more expensive and typically have a shelf life of from about one to three years, plant-derived oils contain essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals that are vital for healthy skin and body, and which are easily absorbed by the skin. All our oils are cold pressed and organic where possible which are much less reliant on pesticides and fertilisers. The mineral oils used by most skincare producers are considerably cheaper to produce, have a longer shelf life, and are odour and colourless. They do not contain any goodness like essential fatty acids or vitamins and we believe that they’re not so good for the body and not so good for the planet. Any product that contains water needs to be protected by a preservative. Without preservatives products like face creams would have a very short shelf life and run the risk of contamination of bacteria, which cannot be seen by the naked eye, but can cause all sorts of infections. We use a couple of preservatives used by many green companies around the world. Preservative K is now accepted by the Soil Association as part of an organic cosmetic product that can be labelled ‘made with organic ingredients’. Preservative 12 is an innovative more natural preservative, which is recommended for products that treat sensitive skin. An estimated 90% of cosmetic products are preserved using parabens like methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben and butylparaben, which are made synthetically and cheap to produce. For many years parabens have been considered safe but recently they have been subject to controversy and studies show that they may be more harmful than we think. Some studies have linked parabens to breast cancer and a low sperm count. Also methylparaben has been linked to premature ageing of the skin when exposed to UV rays. Although there is no definitive evidence available, we prefer to be cautious and will not use parabens in our products. For more information, see the Organic Consumers Association website http://www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare/paraben011304.cfm Many ‘organic’ or ‘natural’ skincare companies use grapefruit seed extract (GSE) which sounds very natural but has also come under much scrutiny. Studies have shown that most GSE preservatives contain the preserving substances triclosan and methylparaben, and those which do not have shown to be inefficient in preserving against microbial activity. As a result, we have decided not to use GSE as it appears that it may not be so ‘natural’ and effective after all. All our products are beautifully scented with essential oils from plants, which have been used in natural medicine, perfume, and skin and health care for thousands of years. Today the manufacture of essential oils has changed to accommodate the perfume industry and so some essential oils are mixed with synthetically produced aromatic chemicals, but sold as genuine essential oils. We have sourced our essential oils from companies that guarantee to sell 100% genuine essential oils of good quality, extracted from raw plants and parts of plants, and are able to indicate methods of growing and country of origin. Again we buy organic where possible and from suppliers who support community and fair trade projects. Essential oils don’t just make our products smell wonderful, but they add many therapeutic benefits. They are, however, very concentrated plant oils so they should not be used on babies, small children, or if you are pregnant or have sensitive skin. So that no-one misses out, we have a fragrance free range where we have left out all essential oils. Everyone wants a product to smell nice but this too often comes with a huge price. Companies do not have to disclose the actual ingredients in a ‘fragrance’ so they can add whatever chemicals they want. There are at least four thousand (yes, four thousand!) different chemicals used by the fragrance industry today. These chemicals are primarily derived from petroleum and can include phlatates, along with many other toxins and synthesizers. Phlatates are hormone disruptors which bind to your body’s estrogen receptors and affect both women and men. Synthetic fragrances emit volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) into the air which have been known to produce a variety of problems including eye, nose and throat irritations, headaches, dizziness, nausea, rashes, depression, hyperactivity, damage to the liver, kidneys and central nervous system, as well as cancer and birth defects. Although synthetic fragrances can smell great and give a longer lasting fragrance, is it worth it? We certainly wouldn’t buy any product that contains the word ‘fragrance’ or ‘parfum’ in its list of ingredients as we have no idea what it contains. Most lotions and washes on the market come in beautiful shades of colours to appeal to you aesthetically and, of course, to match the colour of your bathroom. These colours are usually produced synthetically from petroleum or acetone. They can be skin irritants and can also contain impurities like lead acetate, which is toxic to the nervous system. We want you to think our products look attractive, but we are not prepared to add artificial colours to our products when we have put so much care into the rest of our ingredients. So you may notice that we have added turmeric to our lemon range to give a yellow appearance but this is completely safe, and in fact, turmeric has great health benefits. Due to using natural ingredients though, products may vary slightly in colour or fade a little.
We prefer to use more gentle cleansers which may not have the same ‘bubble’ or foam effect as stronger cleansers but will be kinder to your skin and the environment. To increase the foam and for gentle exfoliation, use a 'scrunchie' or 'body puff', which also makes the body wash go a lot further. Stronger cleansers like Sodium Lauryl Sulphate which are used in many skincare products can be harsh and thin the skin which results in dry, cracked and irritated skin. Our family has been using our products at home for some time now, so it could be said that they’ve been well and truly tested on humans. Our commitment to being good for the planet includes the creatures with which we share it. None of our ingredients or products are tested on animals or contain animal by-products (e.g. beeswax, lanolin etc.) so they are all 100% vegan. As active campaigners for the environment we are passionate about keeping our footprint as low as possible, but doesn’t everyone say that nowadays? Admittedly not many companies would openly admit to being blasé about the environment, much less intent on trashing our beautiful planet, but we love the planet and want to do everything we can to protect it. For example, there are some things which can be recycled – like cellophane - but most local councils don’t recycle it. We have found a degradable cellophane, used in our gift sets, which you can put in your composter. Our cardboard packaging and paper are made from recycled materials. We do not buy bleached cardboard, therefore saving unnecessary detergents and bleaching agents used in the manufacturing process. We prefer to use polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic rather than glass where possible because, apart from being safer in the bathroom, it is far more environmentally friendly, especially now that plastic recycling technology has improved massively in recent years. In production a glass bottle uses many more times more sand, oil and water, and its emissions during production are 15 x more than a plastic bottle. Also because of the weight difference, freight emissions of CO² are considerably higher. The amber PET bottles which we use for our body milks, reflect sunlight and UV rays from spoiling our body milks, and are made from 40-60% post consumer waste. Our airless dispensers are made from high density polyethylene (HDPE). For some of our products, like the face creams which contain many active ingredients and essential oils, we use glass jars to help preserve the quality of the product. All of our bottles, jars and packaging can go straight into your local council recycling facilities so please do your bit as well. All our electricity is supplied by Ecotricity, a company which invests what we spend on our bills in clean forms of power like wind energy. We aim to be an ethical enterprise and use the Co-operative Bank so that when you buy our products, you know that your money will not fund the arms trade or animal testing. We are committed to the principle of generous giving and will be donating at least 10% of our profits in any financial year to organisations which help people and the planet. We have tried to price our products competitively, taking into consideration the cost of organic plant-derived ingredients and the work required for handmade products. Our prices are not inflated with an ‘organic premium’ because we want people to be able to afford them as we are committed to natural skincare for everyone. Choosing plant-derived does mean paying more but we believe that our bodies are important and deserve to be well looked after. Even if we become a successful enterprise, we are not interested in having traditional shareholders as this means having to put profit before people. We are interested, however, in working on a co-operative basis with partners and employees in the future. The Hope Street Team |
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We are pleased to announce that ALL our products are now registered by The Vegan Society. This means that Hope Street products do not contain any animal ingredients or derivatives or been involved with animal testing.
