No products in the cart.
The Palm Oil Issue
When we first developed the EVOHE formulas we wanted to set a new benchmark in the industry. So we held on to our ethics, high standards and stubbornness 😉 and found the best suppliers in the industry who were committed to fair trade, cruelty-free, organic, non-GMO, Palm Oil free and 100% plant based and non-toxic ingredients. It was crucial that the ethics of our suppliers met our own. It’s been a bit of a journey and at times very challenging. Our intention has always been to produce the best product we can, and I believe we have.
We have taken a truth in labelling pledge which is essentially our vow to our customers that we are honest and transparent with our ingredients.
The Palm Oil Issue:
When I first learnt of the atrocities that were occurring in Indonesia I knew I had to do something. Commercially we can make a statement by what we do or not do with our money. Boycotting any ingredient with palm oil in it, including glycerin, was my mission. In the last few years, I have seen great progress and awareness across the food and personal care industries. There were certainly some speed bumps in the formulation process and now we are very proud to say that we have an alternative emulsification system that we are truly happy with and it is 100% Palm Oil Free! Yipeeeeee!!! This makes EVOHE one of the first and only brands in the world to be TRULY Cruelty Free.
NUT FREE & Vegan:
You will notice on our ingredient panel that there is the addition of Cocoa, Shea and Mango Butters, Avocado and Olive Oils. This PALM FREE process also gave us the opportunity to make our formulas NUT FREE which is an added bonus for any of those with nut allergies.
Of course we are 100% Vegan and only use Natural & Organic ingredients.
AUSTRALIAN ACTIVES:
Now, you heard me mention all palm oil based ingredients including glycerin. Many people in the early days didn’t realise that glycerin was a byproduct of biofuel from Palm!
The crazy irony was that corporations trying to be “socially responsible” were cutting down rainforest to grow palm crops to make eco-friendly fuel?! It just didn’t make sense to me.
So glycerin was blacklisted in my book and we never touched it. Then in the last few years, we discovered some amazing Australian Native Extracts. I was excited to add these into our range and reduce our ‘footprint’ by discontinuing use of the imported actives we sourced from the Swiss Alps.
At first, to my dismay, I noticed that the actives were in a glycerin base. I spoke to the supplier who I have a good relationship with and expressed my concerns about the origin of the glycerin. She proceeded to explain the source of their glycerin being Organic, non-GMO from maize and soy. She also gave me the paperwork to back it up.
I realised that through all of the boycotting and passionate awareness the Palm Oil movement was making a difference commercially and there are now alternative sources of glycerin. Another win for our fight to save the rainforests in Indonesia…it felt like a humble and heartwarming success!
The topic of ‘true’ sustainability is a hot one and very subjective. I believe in using my own internal compass and following my conscience when it comes to business. Sometimes it feels that EVOHEs growth and financial success is slow because of this, but I feel rich in so many other ways – I’m genuinely in love with the EVOHE products and know the extent of their purity…so much so that you will often see my little boy sucking on the repair intensive bottle and I don’t flinch. Never tested on animals…just on us.