Hold High Standards

"Clean beauty" is a phrase that is bandied about a lot, but what does it mean? What are companies actually promising when they make this claim? What standards are they telling us they uphold? Since the industry does not really regulate itself that way, consumers have no way of knowing what’s up with their products unless companies are transparent about their practices and ingredients. So we can answer for ourselves and make it easier for consumers to make good, informed choices. In fact, we are excited to share with you our clean beauty practices and the standards to which we hold ourselves.

Since our inception, we've maintained a gold standard for clean beauty, and then, we made an upgrade that takes that standard to an even higher level. That upgrade, of course, is going #plasticfree.

For us, there have always been several non-negotiables where clean beauty is concerned. First, our products must be free of chemicals shown or suspected to harm human health, especially synthetic ingredients (including synthetic fragrance). Second, our products must be cruelty-free and vegan.* Third, ingredients must be sourced with human care at the forefront, meaning the farmers and manufacturers we work with must use ethical practices from soil to skin. We are proud to say that all of our products fit into these categories.

Then we upped our standards when we took our bodycare and skincare plastic-free. There are many reasons for this, not the least of which is the impact single-use plastic has on our planet. To us, going plastic-free is the last frontier in making the claim that our products are 100% clean.

Let’s talk about the symbols you see on the bottom of our emails and website and what we mean when we use them.

Cruelty-Free - We believe that animals should never be used or abused to create beauty products for humans. As part of the most impactful species on earth, we know that it is our job to protect this planet and all of its living beings to the extent that we’re able. Pangea is aligned with Leaping Bunny so our customers can be assured that we walk the talk and never test our products on animals. That said, it is our opinion that a company can't truly be cruelty-free unless it is also plastic-free. Here is why.

Vegan – Our products are 100% vegan. This means that they do not contain any animal extracts or animal by-products in the ingredients or the manufacturing process.

Gluten-Free – When the protein in wheat, barley, and rye is found in your beauty and skin, and haircare products, it can trigger an allergic reaction, especially in those with celiac disease. We’ve eliminated that possibility by making sure that all of our products are gluten-free.

Organic – We use certified organic ingredients. This means our ingredients are grown and processed without the use of toxic chemicals that deplete and poison the soil, waterways, and our bodies.

Why is Clean Beauty important?
The beauty industry is minimally regulated in America. For example, there are 11 cosmetic ingredients currently banned by the FDA, while in the EU, over 1,300 ingredients are banned. Companies operating in the United States are free to use whatever chemicals they want with little government oversight, which means many of the conventional products we use every day in our homes and on our bodies contain potentially harmful ingredients that can include known carcinogens, irritants, and endocrine system disruptors.

To us it’s not really a clean product if it’s being tested on animals, contains animal by-products, or fills our oceans and landfills with single-use plastics, which is why we didn’t just stop at organic and cruelty-free. Everything we make must be holistically healthy — for your body, the planet and everyone else living on it.

Whether you’re showering with one of our plastic-free body washes or hydrating your skin with one of our nature-rich, plastic-free body lotions or facial moisturizers, you can rest easy that there’s no compromise in the effectiveness and ethics of our products.