Plant Based Ingredients and Safe Synthetics
We often hear that natural ingredients are the best option, and that synthetics are always less valuable or more harmful. In some instances, a safe synthetic is healthier for you or has less environmental impact than a plant-based ingredient.
We use plant-based ingredients wherever they are a better alternative, and most of the time they are. Plants are the all-stars in Kavella products!
Here’s an example of how we pick out a safe synthetic over a both a toxic option and a similar plant-based option:
Our Scalp & Hair Oil contains a safe synthetic hydrocarbon called C13-15 Alkane instead of a plant-based oil, which would make the formula much heavier. Using a simple hydrocarbon mixed with all the wonderful organic plant-based oils in this formula makes them more lightweight and spreadable on the hair.
Most "hair oils" have a base of cyclomethicone or cyclopentasiloxane (siloxanes) because they are weightless and spreadable. However these volatile silicones bioaccumulate and don’t break down easily in the environment, and they are also found to be endocrine disruptors and toxic to the nervous system.
By using the safe synthetic C13-15 Alkane, we can achieve a similar desirable feel to a siloxane without any of the toxicity!
WHAT ABOUT INGREDIENTS THAT SOUNDS LIKE BAD CHEMICALS?
Sometimes an ingredient that sounds like a “bad chemical” is actually very safe and may even be plant-derived. Guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride is an example of this. The long chemical name represents a cationic (positively charged) derivative of guar gum (from cluster beans).
It is a commonly used conditioning ingredient that helps deposit active ingredients onto the hair while fighting static. This naturally derived ingredient is effective and has no adverse side effects, despite it's very long, chemically-sounding name.
