it's easy for brands to hide their truth when it comes to their product's ingredients. it gets covered by scientific and hard to read names, often so mind-numbing to the average eye that consumers often decide not to read into it. 

well, we're here to do the heavy lifting for you. our goal at local is to keep you and the earth cleaner, healthier, and happier. if we can make your decision to buy local easier, we will.

here's a deep dive into what's on our ingredients list for our local soap; what they really are, what they really do to your skin, what's good, and what's bad...

how to read an ingredients list: 

- often, the top of ingredients list indicates that it has the highest concentrate in the product. 

what's in our hand soap?

• water (aqua) - exactly what it sounds like, it's just water! it's a widely used ingredient in cosmetics, it's not harmful to the skin and it's also not the biggest game changer. only a 10% concentration is needed for the skins softness. 
• sodium laureth sulfate - commonly referred to as SLES, this is a cleansing agent that produces foaming and lathering effects. its considered safe and gentle on the skin.
• cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine - this 11 syllable ingredient is simply a mild cleansing agent derived from coconut oil. it helps thicken the soap, as well as stabilize it. it's a very low risk product for irritation.
• peg-40 hydrogenated castor oil - a mixture of synthetic and natural castor oil, this ingredient is hydrating for the skin. it meshes oil and water ingredients (emulsifying), so everything dissolves peacefully. 
• glycerin - one of the best ingredients for personal care products, this restores the skins natural moisture and helps lock it in. this is known as a humectant, pulling moisture into the skin. 
• sweet orange (citrus sinensis) oil - this is simply an essential oil! essential oils can be great for the skin (when mixed with other ingredients to make it safe). extracted from plants, essential oils' aromas can be soothing for the mind as well. 
• phenoxyethanol - this is a synthetic preservative that is known to be gentle on skin. it's often used in very low concentrations for rinse-off products (such as soap).
• tangerine (citrus reticulata blanco var tangerina) oil - another essential oil used to fragrance our soap, this smells like mandarin orange. it can be sensitizing to the skin, so it's important that it isn't used in heavy doses. 
• rosemary (rosmarinus officinalis) oil - rosemary essential oil is an incredible anti-oxidant for the skin. the leaf extract is typically "de-oiled", meaning that the harmful components are removed. it also helps aid preservatives paired with it. 
• cedarwood (cedrus atlantica) oil - extracted from a cedarwood tree, often found in morocco, this oil pairs very well with rosemary. at high concentrations, especially when it is not diluted, it can be irritating to the skin.
• lavender (lavandula angustifolia) oil - known for it's calming scent, this oil is very fragrant, which can be irritating for sensitive skin types. though, in a wash-off product, it is unlikely to effect the skin negatively. 
• citric acid - despite it's scary sounding name, this is a great fruit-derived ingredient. it helps to balance the ph in products, and it is an aha (alpha-hydroxy acid) which means it can help to exfoliate the skin.
• limonene - made up of citrus and mint oils, this fragrant ingredient can have antioxidant effects to the skin. it's important to note, because of its penetration-enhancing effects on skin, it’s particularly important to avoid products that contain limonene plus other skin sensitizers like denatured alcohol.

compared to many other products, specifically soaps, on the market, we are proud to share our ingredient list. by using essential oils to scent our soaps, we are eliminating the potential that perfume has to irritate the skin and nose. 

what's in our body wash?

the formulation of our body wash is almost identical to our hand soap, except with differing essential oils. here are the different oils found in our body wash: 

• citrus paradisi (pink grapefruit) oil - this oil is mostly known for it's mood effects. grapefruit scent can help ease stress, balance your mood, and even relieve blood pressure. but, it may also have antibacterial benefits, as the true grapefruit plant does. 
• citrus limonum (lemon) oil - lemon is a very acidic fruit, which when applied directly onto the skin, can have sensitizing effects. but, paired with hydrating ingredients and diluted heavily, we see that it decreases inflammation, and refreshes the senses. 
• calabrian (bergamot) oil - this spicy-sweet oil is extracted from the fruit's skin. a very popular scent, this is great in a variety of products. as many other oils, it can be sensitizing on the skin when used in high concentrations. 

and that's it. all of our ingredients in our soap are out in the open. the good, and the not-so-good. we encourage you to look into your skincare products ingredients lists, and watch out for brands who don't make it obvious enough what is in their products.