Our natural cosmetics - From the creation to the finishing touches

What is a natural cosmetic?

The regulations currently in force are the following: the 'Natural' label requires a minimum content of at least 95% of natural as well as naturally occurring ingredients within the cosmetic product itself. For us, naturalness does not end with the presence of active substances in our skincare line. Indeed, all other excipients are carefully selected based on their naturalness and quality. This is how we guarantee that our skincare products contain at least 97% of natural ingredients.
Obviously, it is important to formulate with a natural substance. But not only is it a lot more interesting, it is also beneficial for the skin to formulate with natural substances that still possess their full biological richness. Such as, for example, virgin oil versus refined oil. This is where the whole nuance lies… just as well as our raison d'être!

Our skincare actually belonged to our apothecary ancestresses, who made, tested and verified them as well as passed them onto us, one after another. They have thus traveled through the centuries and just like what lasts over time, they have come to showcase the benefits of their active ingredients and the merits of their composition.

 

The creation of a natural cosmetic initially starts with the selection of its ingredients 

 At L'ODAÏTÈS, guaranteeing the quality of active substances was first and foremost a question of know-how among the women of our family lineage. Enriched by this experience, we have also made it a matter of expertise. Our chemist sister is in charge of the drastic sourcing of raw materials such as virgin jojoba oil, prickly pear oil, apricot kernel oil, fresh aloe vera juice, fresh date sap, steam-distilled floral waters, bio-fermented hyaluronic acid, fine powder of olive leaves, fine powder of apricot kernels, etc... So many carefully selected ingredients sensitive to air and light due to their freshness, which we managed to successfully preserve throughout the entire supply, manufacturing and packaging cycles.

Our flagship active ingredient, cold extracted date sap, has undergone an even more rigorous selection as it is a 360 ° active ingredient. In other words, it covers all of the skin's needs: moisturizing, rejuvenation, restoration, firming and revitalization. Very early on, we were introduced to the importance of the soil for our sourcing, the one that offers the suitable and appropriate microclimate to produce the best quality neroli (the essential oil of the bitter orange blossom) or fresh aloe vera juice. 

  

Our approach to naturalness requires that the substance be preserved in its integrity

We were able to experiment and find that the use of these active substances in their original form was the pledge of efficiency. Our challenge was therefore to develop extraction techniques that would preserve this freshness and maintain the biological richness of the substance intact. Cold pressing, bio-fermentation, distillation, and so forth... these are all techniques we have used to achieve our biomimetic botanical active ingredients. These active ingredients are thus chemically and biologically related to our skin, allowing their active molecules to be optimally absorbed by the deeper layers of our epidermis.                     

This is how trace elements or essential fatty acids, preserved intact in the extract of our plant substance, “resemble” those of our skin. This explains why they are perfectly recognized and assimilated by our epidermis. The effectiveness of our skincare is a testament to this biomimetic action, with for example, an in vitro test for our cream which indicated a 64% reduction in cell oxidation! If biomimicry sparks your interest, we have dedicated a whole article to it: https://www.lodaites.com/blogs/news-en/biomimicry-a-beneficial-biological-kinship

Mastering the stabilization of virgin vegetable oils is also one of our strengths. Naturally, it is extremely more delicate to formulate with a virgin vegetable oil than with a refined oil. Indeed, unlike a refined oil, a virgin oil is “alive” as it is still rich in Omega 3, 6 and 9, vitamin E and beta-carotene. We explain all this in further detail in the following article: https://www.lodaites.com/blogs/news-en/virgin-oils-vs-refined-oils-whats-the-difference This avoids weighing down our article.

As you have now come to understand, pure and fresh cold-pressed Aloe Vera juice, and not just a powder diluted in water, is also found in our skincare line which fully and completely preserves the moisturizing, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, healing and restorative action of Aloe Vera. 

 

For us, creating a natural cosmetic is an approach that goes beyond the formulation process

Respect for all living things is part of our DNA. We have removed all plastic film and instructions from our skincare line. All the relevant information and directions for use that you may need are available on our website. Each package has been extensively analyzed in order to choose the most environmentally friendly bottle that provides the best protection for the formula used. For our repairing serum, “Elixir Bonheur”, we preserve the freshness and nobility of its fabulous virgin vegetable oils by removing air from the bottle immediately after filling it. When it came to choosing spatulas for the use of our exfoliant cream, it seemed obvious to us to support craftswomen who provided us with magnificent spatulas made from noble olive wood. These accessories are eco-friendly, reusable and perfectly clean. 

It is our pharmacist sister who oversees the vacuum manufacturing of our products to ensure maximum protection of the benefits of their active ingredients. We have complete and perfect control over the entire skincare line: from the selection of ingredients to the packaging of our skincare products, including the formulation of our blends, which is also carried out in-house by our teams. Nothing gets past us! 

Self-evidently, our skincare line is free of any undesirable or harmful ingredients for environmental or health-related reasons, such as parabens, phenoxyethanol, PEGs, mineral oils or waxes, phthalates, polymers, dyes, silicones, vegetable ingredients from GM cultures or any other substance which fails to respect skin health. We have especially refined our selection of emulsifiers and surfactants. Thereby, beyond their naturalness, they help to preserve the hydrolipidic film and skin pH of your skin, unlike conventional surfactants. 

 

Our raison d´être is to offer you natural, healthy and effective ‘Made in France’ cosmetics, in the hope that you will have as much pleasure in using them as we have had in making them.