Don't let marketing fool you. "Chemicals" are all around us. Most are nothing to be afraid of, but still there are many that 'don't play nicely with others'. Many of which you don't want to invite to dinner or take a bath with.

Just because a company leaves out a few bad ingredients and uses buzz words like 'natural' or 'chemical free' doesn't mean their product(s) are good for you. Chemical Free isn't a real notion. Nothing in our solar system is 'chemical free'... even dirt is considered to be a chemical. Ingredients that are "derived" aren't considered to be natural, safe or non-toxic. Remember all those reports about Splenda being 'derived' from sugar?? I digress. 

Take artisan crafted soap for example...
Is it natural?? Yes & No. The ingredients used for artisan crafted soaps are very different then the soaps you would find in the grocery store. Commercial 'soap' isn't by definition real soap, but rather 'beauty bars' which are really plugs of detergent. Nice, eh?

SOAP | noun
A substance used with water for washing and cleaning, made up of natural occurring oils or fats/butters with sodium hydroxide or potash (potassium hydroxide), and typically having fragrance and/or coloring added.

There's that wording again... natural. Natural ingredients are 'raw' ingredients (ie. oils, butters, seeds, nuts, etc) that have an origin of being obtained without using means of a chemical process --- aka. 'solvent extraction'. Sodium Hydroxide... well that is a chemical, but a useful chemical. It's a base that turns those fatty acids (aka. butters & oils) into glycerin & salt (aka. soap) through a chemical process called 'saponification'. Saying that, without sodium hydroxide or lye, you just have oil & water.

Green Rift artisan soaps are made in small batches using top-notch raw ingredients. We love to source ingredients that are fair-trade & are sustainable. While essential oils are always best, they can very limiting. Knowing this, we source our fragrance oils to be free of the worst offenders -- parabens, phthalates, formalydehyes, dipropylene glycols & gluten.

Our fragrances are also PETA friendly. Did you know that?? Bet not. Being animal lovers ourselves & strong supporters of non-profits like VetRanch, we source all our ingredients to be cruelty free to animals.

We are working on obtaining a line of 'Natural Aromatic Oils' that are plant-based obtained by pure essential oils & aromatic isolates derived solely from natural, raw botanical sources. Essentially, these aromatic oils will be certified to be free of synthetic ingredients. More on those in the next blog post.

Above all, know a tree by it's roots. When in doubt ask questions, do your own research. && Remember that 'Knowledge is POWER.' The more you know, the better decisions you can make for yourself and your family.

- J

The Green Rift uses a U.S.P. Certified propylene glycol derived from vegetable oil, generally a blend of many oils including sustainably resourced palm, corn, sunflower seed and coconut oils. Our propylene glycol meets purity standards that allow for
its use in both human/pet foods as well as pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. It is recognized by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the World Health Organization (WHO) as a Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS), as a safe and non-toxic ingredient additive. It is USDA certified as a Biobased Product, sourced from renewable resources.

What does Propylene Glycol do?
Propylene glycol helps form the base for our deodorants. Sodium stearate, a naturally occurring salt of stearic acid, combines with propylene glycol to provide a gel or base. This gel gives our stick deodorant it's "base" structure, so it can be properly applied.

Possible Alternatives?
The Green Rift has investigated using vegetable glycerin & 1,3-propanediol (aka. NatureSilk TM) for potential alternatives to propylene glycol. Using 100% vegetable glycerin, yielded an unsatisfactory product that facilitated the growth of odor-causing bacteria and was found to be "soft & mushy" as a deodorant stick. Therefore, this wasn't a viable alternative.

The Green Rift is currently researching another possible green alternative to propylene glycol, being 1,3- propanediol or commonly known as Propanediol. This ingredient is a 'greener' alternative 100% naturally derived, sourced from corn (Zea Mays); made by the fermentation of corn sugars. However, the process has a large carbon footprint and is non-sustainably sourced. Our belief is to take care of our planet, use the best ingredients that Mother Earth provides, while leaving behind a small carbon footprint.

- J