Common Ingredients in SumiCo Products
What is natural? Certainly one could say that anything from nature is natural. However--and this is very important--there is a huge difference in the healthfulness of a material if it is in its natural state or if it is refined. When you refine anything it becomes less healthful for our bodies, in general.

Below are a list of healthy, natural ingredients commonly found in SumiCo products. We also have a list of synthetic, unnatural ingredients you will NEVER find in our products (although you might in other "natural" brands!) and the negative effects they can have on your health.

Beeswax: Used as a natural thickener for our stick products and gives a bit of hold and shine to the Hair Crème.

Chamomile: Soothes dry and irritated skin (including eczema and sunburn), reduces inflammation. It can also speed healing and prevent bacterial infection.

Geranium: Restores balance to oily or dry hair and skin. Gentle enough for sensitive skin.

Honey: Honey is a natural humectant with strong antibacterial properties.

Jojoba Oil: A liquid wax similar in composition to sebum, the substance that acts as a natural barrier between you and the elements. It softens fines lines and does not clog pores. Naturally stable, it extends the life of our serums and does not turn rancid.

Lavender: Extremely versatile, balances dry and oily skin, antibacterial, soothes inflammation, reduces redness and scarring.

Rhassoul Clay: Contains higher percentages of silica, magnesium, potassium, and calcium than other clays. Very gentle yet effective in its absorption of impurities from the skin, including oil from inside and around blemishes. Gently removes dead skin layers and regenerates the complexion.

Rose Absolute: Suitable for all skin types, rose is a cell rejuvenator, an antiseptic, and an anti-inflammatory.

Sandalwood: Antibacterial, antiseptic, relieves itching and inflammation, and is most effective in relieving dehydrated skin. Astringent action has a great toning effect and is also used with great results in oily skin conditions and to prevent the skin from forming scars.

Shea Butter: A unique fatty acid profile and high content of vitamins E and A contribute to its protective and hydrating properties and to promote cell regeneration and capillary circulation. It is commonly used in the treatment of eczema. Contains cinnamic acid, which provides natural protection against damaging ultraviolet rays.

Tea Tree Oil: Tea tree oil blends rapidly and easily with the skin's own oils. In the process, the oil alters the chemical barrier of the skin, making it less hospitable to the growth of fungi and other organisms. In these ways, tea tree oil not only lessens the chance of infection, it also promotes healing and reduces the likelihood of scarring. Even severe cases of acne have been shown to benefit from anti-acne preparations that contain up to 15% tea tree oil, an effect that can be explained by the oil's antibacterial and skin-healing properties.

Vitamin E: One of Nature's powerful antioxidants, preventing living cell destruction from free radicals. It's not only good for your skin, because of it's ability to keep oils from going rancid, we use Vitamin E as a natural preservative in our products. Can help decrease the effects of psoriasis, erythema, and may help in reducing the risk of skin cancer.

Common Ingredients to watch out for:

Benzophenone-3 — Common ingredient in sunscreens. Helps prevent product from breaking down in sunlight. Can cause hives.

Ethanolamines — (Monoethanolamine aka MEA, Diethanolamine aka DEA, Triethanolamine aka TEA): common pH stabilizers; when exposed to oxygen/air form nitrosoamines, which may be irritating and/or toxic. The amount of nitrosoamines formed during typical use of skin care products with ethanolamines is unclear.

Imidazolidinyl Urea and Diazolidinyl Urea — These are the most commonly used preservatives after the parabens. They are well established as a primary cause of contact dermatitis (American Academy of Dermatology). Two trade names for these chemicals are Germall II and Germall 115. Neither of the Germall chemicals have a good antifungal, and must be combined with other preservatives. Germall 115 releases formaldehyde at just over 10°. These chemicals are toxic.

Isopropyl Myristate — An emollient that can be comedogenic. Its use is contested by consumer advocates who claim it may be carcinogenic.

Methyl and Propyl and Butyl and Ethyl Paraben — Used as inhibitors of microbial growth and to extend shelf life of products. Widely used even though they are known to be toxic. Have caused many allergic reactions and skin rashes. Methyl paraben combines benzoic acid with the methyl group of chemicals. Highly toxic.

Mineral Oil — Commonly used in commercial lotions, creams, baby products because it is scentless and doesn't spoil. A petrochemical (synthetic, not natural) byproduct of crude oil, it is used to prevent moisture loss because it is hard to absorb. Prolonged use can aggravate existing skin disorders and clog pores.

Petrolatum — I see this on lip products from time to time, which is humorous to me because they're usually advertised as protecting the lips from sunburn, chapping and so forth. Petrolatum is mineral oil jelly, and mineral oil causes a lot of problems when used on the skin photosensitivity (i.e., promotes sun damage), and it tends to interfere with the body's own natural moisturizing mechanism, leading to dry skin and chapping. You are being sold a product that creates the very conditions it claims to alleviate. Manufacturers use petrolatum because it is unbelievably cheap.

Phenoxyethanol (Fragrance) — A coal-tar ingredient, a suspected carcinogen; that’s why it’s for external use only. Often added for fragrance.

Propylene Glycol — Ideally this is a vegetable glycerin mixed with grain alcohol, both of which are natural. Usually it is a synthetic petrochemical mix used as a humectant. Has been known to cause allergic and toxic reactions.

PVP/VA Copolymer — A petroleum-derived chemical used in hairsprays, wavesets and other cosmetics. It can be considered toxic, since particles may contribute to foreign bodies in the lungs of sensitive persons.

Simethicone — Commonly used in skin products as an anti-fungal preservative. There are still  questions pending on the stability and safety of simethicone and it's effects on the liver and kidneys.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate — This synthetic substance is used in shampoos for its detergent and foam-building abilities. It causes eye irritations, skin rashes, hair loss, scalp scurf similar to dandruff, and allergic reactions. It is frequently disguised in pseudo-natural cosmetics with the parenthetic explanation "comes from coconut."

Stearalkonium Chloride — A chemical used in hair conditioners and creams. Causes allergic reactions. Stearalkonium chloride was developed by the fabric industry as a fabric softener, and is a lot cheaper and easier to use in hair conditioning formulas than proteins or herbals, which do help hair health. Toxic.

Synthetic Colors — The synthetic colors used to supposedly make a cosmetic "pretty" should be avoided at all costs, along with hair dyes. They will be labeled as FD&C or D&C, followed by a color and a number. Example: FD&C Red No. 6 / D&C Green No. 6. Synthetic colors are believed to be cancer-causing agents. If a cosmetic contains them, don't use it.

Synthetic Fragrances — The synthetic fragrances used in cosmetics can have as many as 200 ingredients. There is no way to know what the chemicals are, since on the label it will simply say "Fragrance." Some of the problems caused by these chemicals are headaches, dizziness, rash, hyperpigmentation, violent coughing, vomiting, skin irritation by a cosmetic that has the word "Fragrance" on the ingredients label.

Triethanolamine — Often used in cosmetics to adjust the pH, and used with many fatty acids to convert acid to salt (stearate), which then becomes the base for a cleanser. TEA causes allergic reactions including eye problems, dryness of hair and skin, and could be toxic if absorbed into the body over a long period of time.