Why our research is so important!

Waiting for spring is like waiting for a pot of water to start boiling. Which, by the way, I just did! It is the time when I sit down and roll around ideas of what I can make to fit my customers' wants and needs.

Formulating recipes for our organic handmade soap, luxurious lotions and more is both frustrating and fun. Tweaking to get just the right consistency, feel and end results for your health and skin is challenging, but I love it!

When I hear from my customers what a difference Sweet Harvest Farms has made in their life, or that of their friends, it can bring me to tears. After all, it is just handmade organic soap, right? Wrong!

A customer with skin issues, sensitivity and the inability to use any type of soap to me is unthinkable. Not only from a hydrating aspect but from a sanitary one as well. I happen to have those customers that found my handmade organic soap and lotion to be "life changing" as they put it. That's really what it is all about.

This spring is no different. I have already introduced my new scent " Capri" to the public and it is a hit! I will also be offering my scrub gloves soon. While I did not make these, I acquired them from a company that believes in sustainable and renewable sources just as I do.

I am sure within the next few weeks there will be more coming down the pike. I am working on a room spray that does not contain polysorbate 20. Almost all commercial room or body sprays contain this chemical.

According to Safety Watch Lists, in its original form, polysorbate is a harmless sorbitol, which is a sugar alcohol. For its use in personal care products, however, it's treated with ethylene oxide. Thus, the name “polysorbate 20,” because it's treated with 20 parts of ethylene oxide.

The result is an ingredient used as an emulsifier in cosmetic creams, lotions, cream deodorant, baby oil, sun lotion, etc. It is used to help mix oil, fragrance and water.

The problem with this ingredient is that it is treated with ethylene oxide and can become contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, a potentially dangerous by-product.  1,4-dioxane is a known animal carcinogen that can penetrate the skin easily. This ingredient has also been known to cause with skin allergies. Concerns are such that a class action lawsuit was filed in New Jersey against manufacturers that use polysorbate 20 or others containing formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane.

The Safety Watch List also shows The Organic Consumers Organization reported that the levels of 1,4-dioxane found in many personal care products are 1,000 times higher than those found to cause cancer in animal studies. That is certainly concerning. 

Other concerns with polysorbate-20 are that can result in developmental and reproductive toxicity in animal studies even though doses administered were high.

Reading labels is so important. There has been no other "natural" means to blend all the ingredients in a room spray... until now! That is the next big research project I am undertaking to ensure what I am formulating to use as a room spray or air freshener is both safe and amazing for your health and home.

Stay tuned!