The Main Ingredients We Use

These rich, nourishing products can be used everyday to help soothe problem skin and alleviate a wide range of skin conditions.  They combine the highest quality vegetable oils and waxes, essential oils, and Aloe Vera.  The recipes are all plant based with no animal ingredients and we do not test on animals.  We do not use artificial fragrances or mineral oils.

Base Ingredients

• Aqua:  known to all as water.  Aqua is an integral part of nearly all skin creams and lotions.  The water used in AlvaNatural products is purified and de-ionised to ensure that no impurities are present.
• Cetostearyl Alcohol:  an emulsifying wax.  It is a blend of Cetyl Alcohol and Stearyl Alcohol, two fatty alcohols derived from vegetable sources (such as palm or coconut).  It is widely used in skin creams and lotions.
• Cetearyl Alcohol:  similar to Cetostearyl Alcohol.  It is an emulsifying wax used as an emollient and moisturiser and as a carrying agent for other ingredients.
• Glyceryl Hydroxystearate:  derived from glycerine and fatty acids.  It is an excellent emollient, moisturiser and emulsifier.
• Aloe Vera:  extracted from the inner portions of the leaves of the Aloe Vera plant.  We use only the highest quality Aloe Vera gel.  Aloe Vera has been used for thousands of years as a curative for many internal and external ailments.  It is used in all AlvaNatural skin creams, balms and soaps.
• Vegetable Glycerin:  an extremely effective humectant (drawing moisture from the air to moisturize the skin or hair), it also has emollient properties.  Derived from naturally occurring fatty acids, usually coconut, it is also used as a lubricant (to help prevent moisture loss).
• Cocamidopropyl betaine:  derived from salts in coconut oil, it is a good cleansing agent and foam booster.
• Cocamide DEA:  a coconut derived stabiliser.
• D-Panthenol :  pro-vitamin renowned for its moisturising and soothing properties.
• Sodium Palmate:  a soap emulsifier made from palm oil.
• Sorbitol:  derived from berries and fruits, seaweed and algae, it is a moisturiser and emulsifier.
• Sodium Cocoate:  the mixture of fatty acid salts of coconut oil used in soap making.
• Parabens:  a preservative used to provide strong anti-fungal and anti-bacterial action.  It combines Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben & Propylparaben.  We use less than 0.5% in our creams and balms.

Vegetable Oils and Butters

• Apricot Kernel Oil:  extracted from the kernel of the fruit of Prunus armeniaca (Apricot).  It is high in poly-unsaturated fatty acids and its nourishing and moisturising properties make it ideal for delicate, mature or dehydrated skin.
• Borage Oil:  from its bristly stems to its blue star-shaped flowers, virtually all parts of the borage plant (Borago officinalis) have been used over the centuries for their healing properties.  The oil comes from the seeds and is helpful for a wide range of skin problems.
• Calendula Oil:  oil infused with the flowers of Calendula officinalis (Garden or Pot Marigold).  It is a light oil which can help balance oily skin.  It is renowned for its anti-inflammatory and soothing properties.
• Cocoa Butter:  derived from the Cocoa Bean of the Cocoa Tree, a tropical evergreen grown in South America and Africa.  It nourishes and protects the skin and helps give consistency and body to our creams and balms.
• Coconut Oil:  derived from the fruit of Cocos Nucifera (Coconut), which grows to a height of 20-25 metres in Asia.  The oil is a pure, light, non-greasy emollient with good lubricating and softening properties.
• Grapeseed Oil:  is a vegetable oil pressed from the seeds of various varieties of Vitis vinifers grapes, an abundant by-product of wine making.  A light, thin oil, grapeseed oil can help to moisturise and regenerate skin.
• Jojoba Oil:  Jojoba (pronounced ho-ho-ba) oil is a vegetable oil obtained from the crushed bean of the jojoba shrub (Simmondsia chinenis).  The jojoba shrub is native to the Sonoran Desert of north-western Mexico and neighbouring regions in Arizona and southern California.  Jojoba oil moisturises and softens the skin, and can help promote a healthy scalp.
• Neem Oil:  for centuries the Neem tree has been known as the wonder tree of India.  The oil is derived by crushing the seeds and is used to help problem skin.  It is especially effective in treating head lice and dandruff.
• Shea Butter Oil:  a very fatty oil which protects the skin against dehydration and stimulates the formation and growth of new cells.
• Sweet Almond Oil:  obtained from the dried kernels of Prunus amygdalus (Almond). This is a light oil, easily absorbed by the skin.  It is non-greasy and helps the skin to balance its absorption of moisture, making it particularly effective for chapped and irritated skin.
• Vitamin E Oil: rich in tocopherols and tocotrienols.  It is derived from wheatgerm, almonds, peanuts, walnuts and vegetable oils such as soya and corn.  It is believed to help protect skin cells from free-radical damage and is used in creams and lotions to reduce itchiness and promote healthy skin.
• Wheatgerm Oil:  this oil has a nutty aroma and is a valuable source of Vitamin E, a natural antioxidant.  It helps to relieve dermatitis symptoms, promotes skin cell formation, and improves blood circulation.  It can also help to prevent and reduce scarring and speeds up healing of cuts and wounds.

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