Are the essential oils used in the Tisserand products organic and how are these certified?
Most of the essential oils used the Tisserand products are organic; those that are not are either wild crafted or ethically harvested.

• Organic
  

  Certified organic essential oils are derived from plants that have been grown without the use of man-made fertilisers, herbicides or pesticides; instead, using ecosystem management methods to maintain the health of both plant and soil. There are no inputs such as genetic modification or irradiation. The benefits of organic agriculture include no pollution of the local air or groundwater and no toxic chemicals in the plant or its essential oil, meanwhile maintaining the viability of the local environment. International standards are set by IFOAM (the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements), which also accredits many certifying bodies, for example the Soil Association or French Ecocert.

  
  
• Wild Crafted
  Wild crafted essential oils are derived from plants that are not cultivated, but are gathered from their natural, wild habitat. Although they are not organic, they will not have been contaminated by synthetic chemicals (pesticides, fertilisers etc) and will be growing in conditions favourable to the health of the plant. When wild crafting is done sustainably, a plan for harvesting must show that the harvest will sustain the wild crop.



• Ethically Harvested
  This denotes sustainable cultivation. An ethically harvested essential oil is derived from a herb, shrub or tree that is not harvested so aggressively that the species becomes depleted. As far as aromatic plants are concerned, species depletion is only rarely a problem with herbs (which are mostly easy to grow in quantity) but tends to be more of an issue with slow-growing trees.

With regard to certification of the plant and growing conditions, our oils suppliers provide this every 12 months.

Do you use fair trade ingredients?
Some of our vegetable oils and butters come from Africa or South America, purchased on a fair trade basis. This means that they are produced through a trade programme, which focuses on organisations that produce commercially viable products that benefit their community.

When you include 'Parfum' within your ingredients list, what does this mean?
When 'parfum' is included within any Tisserand ingredients list, it solely means pure essentials (other than those already detailed). We don't, and never have, used synthetic fragrances, but European labelling law requires that the word 'parfum' be used.

Why are pure essential oils superior to synthetic fragrances?

Since they are derived from plants, pure essential oils are entirely natural and have their own unique therapeutic properties. Although synthetic fragrances are often said to be identical to the same chemical as it occurs in nature, this is in fact not the case. Synthetic chemicals are never 100% pure and generally contain 1-10% of impurities. They are a poor choice because, unlike the distillation of essential oils, manufacturing aroma-chemicals is an energy consuming and sometimes wasteful procedure that usually involves quite a number of sequential chemical processes. The main starting materials for manufacture are wood pulp and petroleum, which is not environmentally friendly. Commercial fragrances often contain synthetic musks that do not biodegrade and accumulate in the environment, especially waterways, where they can affect fish and other aquatic life. Additionally, they often contain phthalates, which contribute to the body burden of foreign toxic molecules.

What percentage of essential is included in a Tisserand product?
Most of our products contain between 1 and 5% of essential oil. The precise amount in each product is determined by safety considerations of the essential oils used, the function of the product, and the percentage required to make the product effective.

Do the Tisserand products contain herbal extracts?
Herbal extracts - the majority of which are organic - are used in most of our products. They enhance the performance of the product, as they work in synergy with the essential oils. They also have their own therapeutic benefits - they can be soothing, refreshing, cleansing, astringent, deodorising, conditioning, moisturising, toning, softening or firming. More importantly, their antioxidant properties help reduce free radical damage to the skin or hair.

Do the Tisserand products contain SLES (Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate)?
SLES has been used for many years as a cleansing/foaming agent within wash and hair care products around the world. However, we recognise that some consumers would prefer to avoid this ingredient, so we are replacing it with alternatives, such as ALS (ammonium lauryl sulfate). This is derived from coconut oil, delivers dense creamy foam that is milder to the skin and, unlike SLES, is free from petrochemical ingredients. Our product range will be entirely SLES-free by Spring 2008.

Do the Tisserand products contain Parabens?
Parabens have been used as a preservative within cosmetics and toiletries formulations for many years around the world. However, we recognise that some consumers would rather avoid ingredient, which is why most of our products are paraben-free. The alternatives that we use (chlorphenesin, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, to name a few) are just as effective in terms of microbiological /challenge testing, and are often milder to the skin. Our product range will be entirely paraben-free by Spring 2008.

What other ingredients are your products free from?

Tisserand products do not contain ingredients that we consider to be unsafe or unsound, such as phthalates, SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate), mineral oil, BHA, triclosan, aluminium compounds or any animal derived ingredients, such as lanolin or beeswax. We are currently removing all propylene glycol from our formulations, replacing it with vegetable-derived glycerin. We constantly update our formulas to keep up with market trends and demands, researching and using new ingredient alternatives that are mild to the skin and, where possible, kinder to the environment. Can I use the Tisserand personal care products whilst pregnant? Our personal care products are all safe to use in pregnancy.

Are the Tisserand products tested on animals?
Our products and ingredients are not tested on animals by or for Tisserand. In fact, the ingredients are suitable for vegetarians and vegans, and are registered by the Vegan Society.