For easier reading, the About Us page is split into a few sections:

About Us
A healthier you, a better planet...
The beginning...
Why go organic?
Male grooming
Does organic mean organic? Does natural mean natural?
Eco Friendly
Animal Testing

The Use of Chemicals
Chemicals in your Skin care products
Parabens
Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS)
Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)
Propylene Glycol
Phthalates
Synthetic fragrance

Further Reading:
Link to the Ecologist's 'Behind the Label' series: Bubble Bath
Link to the Ecologist's 'Behind the Label' series: Shaving Gel
Thanks for reading

A healthier you, a better planet...

Here at Male Organics we passionately believe in living our lives in a sustainable and eco-friendly way. We had difficulty finding a dedicated organic webshop for men on the Internet, so we've created our own. We are confident our products will meet your high standards because they have been rigorously researched and tested by us!

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The beginning...

We began by looking at what we consumed in our daily routine and how this could have a negative impact on our personal health and the environment.

An obvious starting point was food and the use of pesticides and artificial additives in what we eat. More often than not, buying food that was farmed or grown naturally meant buying organic produce. After looking at what we put in our bodies, we naturally progressed to the products we used on our bodies and decided the same principles should be used. Considering that skin can absorb up to 60% of anything applied to it, it's worth thinking carefully about what is in the male grooming products you use.

Being fans of shopping on the Internet (anything to avoid the supermarket!), we thought it would be a good idea to collect all of the products we had researched and make them available in one place. So Male Organics was born, a website that will help you make a positive change in your lifestyle.

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Why go organic?

There are about 9,000 chemicals used in cosmetics and very few of them have any safety data available. Unlike the food industry, the cosmetic industry is self regulated. Many products are only tested for basic toxicity, for instance, if the skin has any initial reaction such as inflammation or rashes. Perhaps more worryingly there is little research available on toxic chemical build up within the body and the effect this may have for your future health.

Furthermore, these products are not tested for their effect on the environment and ecological systems. This is a huge concern, as chemicals from household products have been found in the cells of many animal species ranging across the food chain, from plankton to arctic polar bears.

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Male grooming

On average we can use around 7 or 8 grooming and styling products a day. The skin is your largest organ, absorbing up to 60% of anything applied to it, helped along by penetration enhancers in many products. Depending on the products you choose, this means you can be in regular contact with many possibly carcinogenic and hormone disrupting chemicals. Not good in our opinion!

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Does organic mean organic? Does natural mean natural?

With us it does! We believe that if you say it's natural or organic it should be precisely that. Everyday we are bombarded with adverts by major cosmetic companies claiming that you are buying into "natural lifestyle" products. Did you know however, that only 1% of the ingredients in a product need to be natural for it to be labelled as a "natural" product?

In our opinion, this couldn't be more misleading to the consumer and that is why you can be sure that all our products will be exactly what they say they are. We have done all the research for you to make your decision to switch to an organic life that little bit easier.

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Eco Friendly

While we researched organic products for men, we also thought about how these products would be delivered. Therefore we calculate the carbon emissions of delivering our products and offset these emissions accordingly. We track the weight and average journey times of our orders and offset the Co2 emissions using Climate Care (http://www.climatecare.org) which then invests the money in various worldwide Co2 reduction projects.

While other webshops may charge you for this "green" peace of mind (or make it an optional extra cost) we bear the cost without increasing the recommended retail price of our products.

Click here to read our Environmental Policy.

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Animal Testing

We absolutely never stock a product that has been tested on animals.

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Chemicals in your Skin care products

We do not stock products that contain Synthetic fragrances or chemicals such as SLS, Parabans, PEGs, Propylene Glycol, Phthalates or Synthetic fragrances and many more.

Many of these ingredients are present in the products that are widely used. While it may feel like you need a degree in chemistry to understand what they actually are, there follows a very brief guide to what some of these names mean. You can also find links in Further Reading if you want to find out more. We hope, like us, it will make you think carefully when choosing to buy a product.

Parabens
The group of chemicals known as Parabens are widely used as preservatives in cosmetics. There are four main types of Parabens, Methyl, Ethyl, Propyl and Butyparabens. They are often mixed and used as part of a preservative system. They can be found in shampoos, moisturisers and shaving gels and are added to prolong shelf life of the product. It has been argued that the amounts used are so small that they will have no effect on the body, but as Parabens cannot be broken down, the concern is what the cumulative effect of such chemicals could be. Parabens are oestrogen mimicking chemicals and have been found to have links to certain forms of cancer. They are also known skin irritants and have been found to cause asthma and eczema.

Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS)
Sodium Lauryl Sulphate can be found in most shampoos, body-washes and toothpaste. It is a cheap chemical foaming agent, which originally started life as an industrial floor cleaner and degreaser for engines! It has been shown to increase the absorption rate of the skin, in turn allowing more chemicals to enter the blood stream. It is also a harsh skin irritant and can cause hormone imbalances and eye irritation. A study has shown that SLS's can penetrate the eyes as well as the brain, heart and liver and has also shown long term retention in body tissues. SLS's are also used worldwide in clinical testing. They are put to use as skin irritants on humans and animals so that healing agents can be tested.

Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)
PEG or Polyethylene Glycol is used as a penetration enhancer and studies have shown contamination with 1,4-dioxance, a known carcinogen. It can irritate the skin and can increase incidence of lung and liver tumours. PEG's are great degreasers and are often found in oven cleaners!

Propylene Glycol
This again is a penetration enhancer that alters the skin structure allowing chemicals to be more readily absorbed into the skin and eventually the bloodstream. It can also cause contact dermatitis, has been linked to abnormalities in the brain, liver and kidneys, and has the potential to damage the central nervous system. You may also like to know that it is an ingredient in antifreeze and brake fluid!

Phthalates
Can be found in many leading brand skincare products and are a known hormone disrupting chemical. Studies show that exposure to phalates can cause damage to the liver, kidneys, lungs and also the developing of testes. There is also a link from phalates to certain allergies. Phthales come in many different forms. They are commonly used in the Plastics industry and most have not been tested for human safety.

Synthetic fragrance
It is a lot cheaper to create a fragrance chemically using petrochemicals than it is to use a natural one that is subject to seasonal availability. The word 'Parfum' denotes fragrance on the labelling of your skincare products and can be made up from dozens of chemical compounds. There is evidence that the ingredients can cause health problems such as asthma, allergic skin reactions, hormone imbalances and links to cancer. There has been a call for more research into the effects synthetic fragrances can have on human health, but the government and cosmetic industry have been very slow to respond. Many of these chemicals are considered hazardous waste and can be seen along side insecticides, heavy metals and solvents in the worry for human health.

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Further reading from the Ecologist's 'Behind the Label' series:

1) Bubble Bath
Imagine the scenario. It's been a tough day at the office and all you want to do is unwind in a nice relaxing bath. If you knew some brands of bubble bath contained harsh skin irritants potential carcinogens and central nervous system disruptors, would that bath feel so relaxing?

http://www.theecologist.org/archive_detail.asp?content_id=487

2) Shaving gel
You have an important meeting today and must look top notch to impress your clients. Would you feel so confident in your appearance if you knew that certain brands of shaving gel contain several skin irritants, potential carcinogens and central nervous systems poisons?

http://www.theecologist.org/archive_detail.asp?content_id=886

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Thanks for reading

Thankyou very much or taking the time to read this page, we really appreciate it. To some, this information could be seen as scare-mongering and no doubt the major cosmetic companies will say so. The companies using these chemicals will argue that the dosage in each product is too small to pose any risk. But our view is that these companies are self-regulated and the long-term safety of these chemicals is not known. So maybe it's best to rely on the old saying - 'better safe than sorry'.

We feel passionately about promoting change in male grooming habits and hope that this website helps you feel the same way.

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