We formulate products that are effective and safe for you, your family and the environment long into the future. Here is a list of the approaches we follow:
We use natural ingredients that can be eaten
Only all natural ingredients go into our Green Beaver products!
We believe that if an ingredient is not safe for us to swallow, then it should not be applied on our skin. Yes, many ingredients can be absorbed through the skin and into our blood stream (thus the advent of medical patches). Furthermore, if an ingredient is safe to eat it will be biodegradable and good for the environment.
We use vegan and gluten-free ingredients
Vegan: None of our products contain animal or animal derived ingredients. The exception is beeswax that technically is produced by glands on the abdomens of young honeybees. The majority of our products do not contain beeswax are therefore completely vegan. The only products that contain beeswax are our winter hand balm, winter lip balm, massage butter, nursing balm and our facial exfoliant (the beeswax will be removed from our exfoliant this fall when we make our next batch).
Gluten-free: Gluten is a protein found in specific cereal grains such as wheat, rye and barley. People with celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten. It is estimated that 1 in 133 persons in Canada are affected by celiac disease (this includes Alain’s grandfather). All of our products are made with gluten-free ingredients. However, we do utilize oats in our winter bath therapy and in our winter body lotion. Oats can be tolerated by some people with celiac disease but can be problematic for others.
For more information, please visit the Canadian Celiac Association or Health Canada
Our new Green Beaver products use wild and organic Canadian ingredients
We use wild and organic Canadian ingredients
The majority of our ingredients for all new products will be harvested from Canadian soil. Why?
To reduce the amount of pesticides being poured onto our land and environment. By using our products made with organic Canadian ingredients, you are encouraging more Canadian farmers to go organic. That’s a good thing for all!
To cut down on pollution. Using local ingredients instead of importing them from far away burns less transport fuel thus pollutes less. Go local wherever you can!
The majority (>95%) of the ingredients used for our new products (shampoos, conditioners, body washes and lotions) are organically grown or ecologically wild crafted here in Canada. A small proportion of the ingredients (<5%) are imported. Why? Certain essential ingredients such natural preservatives are simply not grown in Canada. We utilize natural preservatives from citrus fruits. We have not been able to find an effective natural preservative that comes only from plants grown here in Canada but we are working on it.
We do NOT use artificial, synthetic or chemical ingredients
We simply do not believe in ingredients that are foreign to this planet’s eco-system and of course, our bodies.
We do NOT use ingredients derived from petroleum
Ingredients such as petrolatum and mineral oil, which are commonly found in conventional personal care products, are derived from petrol. Although petrol is derived from naturally occurring crude oil it contains many toxic substances that should not be eaten.
We do NOT test our ingredients or products on animals
Not only is animal testing cruel, it also does not necessarily prove the safety of ingredients in humans over long periods, nor does it mimic the combinations of chemical we absorb through our lives.
We use ecologically sound packaging material.
Ideally, we would love to use packaging materials that people could simply use, as natural compost for their gardens. We believe that this type of material would be even better than recycling. In the meantime, we will continue to use materials that are biodegradable, re-usable and/or recyclable and ecologically sound. In addition to the packaging material itself, we have now started using vegetable ink. (You can check it out on our new brochure, also printed on 100% post consumer recycled paper). We will continue to encourage packaging companies to continue developing ecologically sound materials
Natural Living
The chemicals in our lives
Consumers are exposed to over 100 chemical ingredients everyday
Sometimes we don’t stop to think just how many chemicals we have contact with. According to Health Canada, there are over 10,000 ingredients used in personal care products inCanada (excluding flavours and fragrances). On average, we apply 7 personal care products on our bodies every day. Personal care products include soaps, toiletries and cosmetics such has shampoos, conditioners, bath and body washes, face creams, body lotions, lip balms, deodorants, toothpaste, lip sticks and much more.
Given an average of 15 ingredients per product, this represents over 100 ingredients we are exposed to every single day. Over the average year are exposed to well over 15 liters of various personal care products. These numbers for most people are understated.
Not only are we personally exposed to a cocktail of chemicals but we also put these chemicals into the environment. When you take the amount we each use and multiply it by the population you end up with a massive volume, enough to fill several rivers and lakes.
The safety of chemicals
A recent survey found 1/3 of conventional personal care products contain ingredients classified as 'possibly cancer-causing'
Most conventional personal care products contain synthetic ingredients that are not found in nature e.g. chemical preservatives, synthetic fragrances, dyes etc. These are foreign to nature and to our bodies.
Many of these chemicals have not been tested for their safety. We are becoming more aware of how these chemicals can get into the environment, the water supply and into our bodies. We might not realize it, but skin is not a complete barrier. Many ingredients are absorbed through the skin and into the blood stream (thus the advent of medical patches). We believe that if an ingredient is not safe for us to swallow then it should not be applied on our skin.
The health risks with long-term use of some of the synthetic ingredients found in conventional products have not been established. Less than 1% of 14,835 products, assessed in a recent survey, were made with ingredients that have all been tested for safety. Another survey assessing 7,500 conventional personal care products, found that one third of them contain one or more ingredients classified as "possibly cancer-causing". Other synthetic ingredients used in personal care products have been shown to affect reproduction and childhood development.
What about the additive effect of questionable ingredients found in 2 out of 7 products you use daily? Very little research has been done to determine the synergistic or additive effects of using multiple questionable synthetic ingredients together within the same products.
Living safely
All new Green Beaver products use only Canadian organic & wildcrafted ingredients
Living safely can be a challenge considering the amount of man-made ingredients found in personal care, household products and even our food.
What can you do about it? Learn as much as you can about ingredients, especially those that are proven harmful. You should read lists of ingredients and don’t use the products that contain them.
We suggest using simple natural products that do not contain artificial chemicals. Stay away from products with long lists of chemicals. You will be amazed at just how well simple, natural ingredients work. Our ancestors have used them; once you re-discover them they can do wonders for you and your family.
