About Our Ingredients
Me No Stink is made with carefully selected ingredients. We thought we'd take a moment to share with you some general information on ingredients, and why we choose to select more expensive ingredients for some of our products.
Surfactants:
Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate (SLSa Powder) - Is a mild surfactant considered safe for most skin types, even gentle enough for sensitive skin. SLSa is naturally derived from coconut oil and palm kernel oil and is used to cream foaming products like bath soaks, bath bombs, bubble bars, and shampoo. It is of 100% natural vegetable origin, biodegradable, and mild. SLSA Powder is used in our Luxury Bath Soaks to create a foaming bath soak without the use of harsh chemicals.
Many manufacturers use Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), a synthetic or petroleum-derived product that can be a skin irritant for those with sensitive skin. While SLS is deemed safe for use in bath and body products, we choose to use SLSa for its mild properties and natural origin. SLSa is extremely expensive compared to SLS, and one of the primarily influencers of the cost for our Luxury Bath Soaks.
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate (SCI Noodles) - Is a gentle surfactant derived from coconut oil. SCI Noodles produce less foam and lathering than SLSa Powder, but are milder than SLSa powder. SCI Noodles are used in our Foot Salt Soaks to create a light foaming soak without the use of harsh chemicals. Like SLSa Powder, SCI Noodles are a more expensive surfactant and are one of the primary influencers of the cost of our Foot Salt Soaks.
Sodium Coco Sulfate Needles (SCS) - Is a mild surfactant with excellent foaming and detergent properties. SCS is derived from coconut and is a great mild ingredient option for liquid soaps, shampoos, face washes, and shower gels.
Salts and Magnesium:
Dead Sea Salt - Is mined directly out of the Dead Sea in Israel and is known for containing many beneficial minerals such as magnesium. Dead Sea Salt also contains Bromide, Iodine, Sulfur, Potassium, Calcium, Sodium, and Zinc. Dead Sea
Salt is a preferred ingredient for our bath and foot soaks. Rather than use only Dead Sea Salt, we combine Dead Sea Salt with Epsom Salts, Pink Himalayan Salts, and sometimes even Magnesium Flakes to give you the full-spectrum of benefits each of these products provide.
Pink Himalayan Sea Salt - Is rich in minerals that can help detox the body. These salts are mined and put on the market without being treated or altered in any way. Pink Himalayan Sea Salt contains 84 key minerals and a common ingredient that we add to all of our bath and foot soaks. Pink Himalayan Sea Salt is more expensive than Epsom Salt and increases the cost of productions for the products we use it in.
Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt) - Is a naturally occurring mineral salt compound of magnesium, sulfur, and oxygen. Epsom Salts are rich in magnesium and are commonly used in salt and foot baths. Lower cost salt soaks are often made only of Epsom Salts. We combine a variety of salts and magnesiums for our salt soak for a full-spectrum of benefits.
Magnesium Chloride (Magnesium Flakes) - Is a highly concentrated and natural form of magnesium. Many people are familiar with the benefits of magnesium soaks and the added benefit of Dead Sea Salt. Magnesium Flakes have a higher concentration of magnesium than Dead Sea Salt does (around 47%). We add Magnesium Flakes our Foot Salt Soak. Magnesium Flakes are much more expensive than Dead Sea Salt, and therefore add a significant amount of cost to the products they are used in.
Oils & Butters:
Olive Oil- Extra Virgin Olive Oil comes from the first press of the olive. Extra virgin olive oil is used in our more premium products such as lotions and body butters and offers a variety of skincare benefits. A few of our products, such as bar soap, use olive pomace. Olive pomace provides a different consistency in soap making, and is a little more economical. The use of olive pomace helps keeps the cost of bar soap more affordable. In the future we will be releasing an additional bar soap line that uses extra virgin olive oil and is "fragrance free" using only natural fragrances or essential oils. It will also use more premium ingredients such as mango butter, cocoa butter, and avocado butter.
Coconut Oil - Is one of the most common oils used in soaps and other bath and skincare products. Coconut oil is a great moisturizer and provides a rich and creamy lather. Coconut butter also has a high saponification value, which means it is well suited for the soap production process (reacts well with lye). It also has a variety of other skincare benefits. When you see the abbreviation (RBD) on an ingredient label, that means the coconut oil has been refined, bleached, and deodorized to remove the natural odors from the oil. Most coconut oil in products is of the RBD type. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is cold pressed and unrefined leaving it in its natural state and odors. Fractionated Coconut Oil (MCT) is a refined coconut oil that is commonly used in natural based lotions, creams, soaps, and butters. It is colorless and odorless. Check your ingredient labels to see which forms of coconut oil we use in our various products.
Avocado Oil - Is a premium oil with deep moisturizing and conditioning properties. Avocado oil is rich in nutrients and contains fatty acids that provide a variety of benefits for both hair and skin.
Mango Butter, Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter - These butters can be either refined or unrefined. When butters are refined it is done so to remove less than ideal qualities from the butters such as their color or odor. Refined butters have a longer shelf life and are better compatible with other ingredients. Refined butters can have less nutrients and antioxidants than unrefined butters. We use both refined and unrefined butters depending on the type of product we are producing.