Miessence Manufacturing & Ingredients
General Questions
If you have questions about Miessence products manufacturing or ingredients, you will find more detailed information below. If there are any questions you would like answered that aren’t listed below, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We would love to be of assistance.
Miessence FAQ
1. Allergies
If I have a nut allergy can I still use miessence products?
miessence tend not use nut ingredients, as a rule, except the tamanu nut oil in the Ambrosia Essence. If someone is highly allergic to nuts, miessence recommend they read their ingredients to ascertain what exactly is in their products. They don’t use nut oils like hazelnut, almond or peanut.
Can I use miessence products if I’m allergic to aloe vera?
Unfortunately, there is not much miessence can do with that, because miessence products are based on aloe vera. Products that don’t contain aloe vera are miessence shimmer crèmes, lip cremes, blush powders, and mineral foundation powders.
Would people who are allergic to plants, trees and grass be able to use miessence product?
It would depend on their specific allergies. Obviously, the fact that miessence products are comprised of ONLY plants, being allergic to plants may pose a problem! miessence suggest that you consult a medical professional prior to using any product if you have any allergies.
2. Aroma & Parfum
Which products contain the proprietary blend of essential oils?
All miessence products have it except:
Masks
Rejuvenessence Serum
Ambrosia
Jaffa Lip balm
Lip crèmes
Concealers
Foundation Powders
Blush Powders
Shimmer Crèmes
Translucent Powder
Bronzing Dust
Body Powder
Liquid Hand Soap
Miessence Superfoods
What is the proprietary blend of essential oils (parfum) in miessence products?
This is a proprietary combination of steam-distilled aromatic derivatives of natural herbs, leaves and twigs. It is definitely NOT a synthetic fragrance or perfume. It does not contain added preservatives or antioxidants, has not been irradiated, does not contain genetically modified ingredients and is allowed in certified organic products. It is listed as “parfum” on miessence labels because it is a proprietary blend of many extracts, not just a single extract, and the International Nomenclature for Cosmetic Ingredients specifies such ingredients are to be listed as ‘parfum’ or ‘aroma’.
3. Ingredients
What is the percentage of active ingredients in miessence products?
100% of the ingredients in miessence products are active.
Why do miessence use ethanol (sugar cane alcohol) in the products?
Organic sugar cane alcohol is used to extract miessence fresh herbs and flowers, which are central to miessence products. The percentage of alcohol does not approach a concentration that is considered harmful in any way; nor is it drying to the skin. Alcohol carries the plant extracts into the skin and is a natural emulsifier and stabiliser.
Is benzoin used in any of miessence products?
Benzoin is synthesized from benzaldehyde in the benzoin condensation. Benzoin is not a constituent of benzoin resin obtained from the benzoin tree (Styrax) or tincture of benzoin. The main component in these natural products is benzoic acid. No forms of benzoin or benzoic acid are used in miessence products.
Is the Aloe Vera Leaf Juice in miessence products the whole leaf or is it the inner gel?
Inner gel only.
Which antioxidants do miessence use?
miessence use rosemary and olive juice and leaf extracts. They protect both your skin and the polyunsaturated oils in miessence products from free radical damage. They also reduce skin damage caused by pollution and UV radiation, therefore protecting the skin from photo aging. They also improve skin hydration and elasticity.
Do miessence use any dairy products or derivatives?
No, none of miessence ingredients are derived from dairy products.
Is sodium bicarbonate (bicarb soda) the same as sodium carbonate or baking powder?
No, sodium bicarbonate (bicarb soda or baking soda) is completely different to sodium carbonate (soda ash) or baking powder (which contain aluminium compounds). Sodium bicarbonate, as used by miessence, is completely free of harmful effects.
Can miessence tell me about the CO2 extracts of carrot and calendula?
Super critical fluid extraction (or CO2 extraction as it is also known) is a highly technical process by which CO2 is liquefied under pressure. This liquid then acts as the solvent in extracting compounds (e.g. oleoresins, essential oils, flavours) from a product.
This method of extraction has numerous advantages:
– No solvent residues
– Selectivity – solvent power and selectivity is readily adjustable by small changes in process conditions, allowing more than one extract product.
– CO2 is acceptable as a food grade “solvent”.
– Low temperature processing means sensitive products do not deteriorate.
– Gentle extraction process.
– High quality separation that eliminates the need to remove solvent and other residues by further processing.
What is miessence opinion of producers using lanolin in creams?
Lanolin is “wool fat” or grease, chemically akin to wax. It is produced by wool-bearing animals such as sheep, and is secreted by their sebaceous glands., which are associated with hair follicles. Lanolin is chiefly a mixture of cholesterol and the esters of several fatty acids. Lanolin is great for the skin, but it can be contaminated with the organochlorine and organophosphate pesticides used for dipping sheep.
4. Environment
Does certified organic automatically mean non-cruelty to animals?
Certified organic means that only ingredients allowed in organic foods are allowed in the product. These are the only ingredients miessence use in their products, and they most certainly do not require, nor are subjected to, animal testing.
Do miessence buy ingredients from other companies that test on animals?
No. Most of miessence suppliers are organic farmers, or intermediaries.
Are ingredients used in Miessence products tested on animals? If not, why don’t miessence carry the Animal Cruelty Free logo? Are miessence registered with Beauty without Cruelty or PETA?
miessence do not test any of their ingredients or products on animals, nor do their suppliers. Furthermore miessence do not condone endorse or see any need to test on animals in this day and age. miessence actually test their products on themselves before sending them out to the public.
miessence don’t carry the logo as it is misleading to consumers. Any ingredient used in cosmetics, by law, must have been tested on animals at some point.
The logo indicates however that none of a company’s products or product ingredients have been tested on animals by the company, anyone on its behalf, by its suppliers or anyone on their behalf them within a period of five years immediately preceding the date of application for accreditation.
This is despite the fact that ALL chemicals have been tested on animals at some time in the past.
Remember, miessence ingredients are all food-based ingredients, so animal testing is not something miessence need to do or ever will do. miessence have chosen not to carry this symbol as they do not use any cosmetic ingredients that have been tested on animals in the past or will ever be tested on animals in the future.
Besides sourcing organic raw materials for miessence product, how else do miessence support the environment?
miessence are pleased to say their entire operation, including their overseas freight and director’s promotional activities are carbon-neutral. miessence have committed to this, whilst they work diligently to reduce miessence ecological footprint on the planet.
miessence packaging is recyclable. miessence have absolutely no harmful waste released from their factory into their waterways via drains. All of their cardboard and paper is reused and recycled, both within their office, and after it leaves their factory. Their promotional literature is printed on recycled paper.
5. Manufacturing
How are miessence herbs extracted?
Our organic herbal extracts are macerated in organic alcohol and water.
What is the emulsifier system that miessence use?
miessence use their own proprietary natural emulsification system they have designed. Everything is listed on the label!
(Please note: The emulsification system used in Miessence products is a trade secret. For legal and commercial reasons this information is to remain confidential)
What is the cold-formulation process miessence employ?
Cold-formulation is the method of manufacture miessence employ in making their products. None of miessence precious essential oils, herbal extract or cold-pressed fruit, seed and flower oils are subjected to any external heat during manufacture. This ensures that the heat-sensitive vitamins, minerals and other nutritional factors maintain their potency and viability, to literally feed your skin!
Where are your suppliers based?
miessence source their raw materials from organic farmers all over the planet.
Do miessence manufacture all their own products?
miessence manufacture all of their miessence products to Narelle’s own formulae. InLiven and FastTract, which are their exclusive formulae, are contract manufactured by an outsourced supplier.
6. Packaging
Should the products be refrigerated?
No, refrigeration is not necessary, although the products do need to be kept out of direct sunlight and in cool conditions. The ideal conditions for the products are normal ambient temperature (around 15-20°C or 60-70°F). Miessence freight providers do not courier in climate-controlled vehicles, so the products have been tested to withstand periods of extreme temperatures (between 0°C-50°C or 32°F-122°F), which emulate year-round international shipping conditions, and will remain stable and continue to fulfil their intended function.
Does freezing affect the product potency?
Products which may have become frozen during delivery may be thawed and used without a loss in potency.
Is the cardboard packaging of miessence products made of recycled materials?
miessence cardboard boxes are part virgin/part recycled. Fully recycled boxes can’t be sealed with tape, as the fibres are too short and the tape won’t stick to it.
What is the ‘fill’ used to pack the boxes made of?
The loose fill protective packaging in your box is manufactured from Australian grown wheat. It is reusable, compostable, and will disintegrate quickly when in direct contact with water, so it can be flushed down the drain or the toilet. miessence recommend placing it in your compost, as it breaks down readily and can be reused to nourish the earth from which it came!
What type of plastics do you use? Are they safe?
The grading used for plastics is a universal system used to sort plastics in terms of their ability to be recycled and is based on the type of plastic used.
miessence use a couple of different types of plastics in their containers.
These are:
PET – which has a rating of 1
HDPE/LDPE 50/50 blend – with respective ratings of 2 and 4
The varying nature of miessence range of products requires different plastics with different qualities. Bearing this in mind, miessence company continues to seek packaging solutions that are highly recyclable or biodegradable if possible.
miessence use plastic in the bottles that are used in the shower recess, for the safety of their customers.
miessence use the hardest, food grade, recyclable plastic, PETE (1), which does not leach undesirable contaminants into their products.
Are miessence plastic bottles recyclable?
Yes, they are 100% recyclable.
Why do miessence put their bottles in plastic bags to ship?
The reason miessence use plastic zip-lock bags is because the products were moving around the box during transit and getting damaged. miessence use zip-lock bags because they can be reused by the customer, they prevent damage and breakages, and on the occasion miessence do have a breakage, they isolate any leakages and protect the other bottles in the shipment.
Is Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) a safe plastic?
Polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, has become the plastic packaging of choice for many products, due in part to its inherent properties that are well suited for lightweight, large-capacity and shatter-resistant containers. The scientific testing of PET is based on two key principles: establishing that there is a minimal amount of transfer of substances between the plastic packaging and the product, and establishing that any substances that may transfer from the plastic to the food do not pose a risk to human health.
As a result of advances in analytical chemistry, even the most minuscule level of migration from the plastic to product can now be measured. Tests to determine the levels of compounds that have the potential to transfer from the plastic into product are conducted using conditions that simulate the actual use of the material. These tests have found that the migration of any components of PET plastics under laboratory conditions is well below applicable safety levels. Therefore, USFDA has determined that PET is acceptable to use in the applications for which it has been tested.
The toxicological properties of PET and compounds that migrate under test conditions have also been well studied. The International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) – a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the scientific understanding of issues related to nutrition, food safety, toxicology, risk assessment and the environment – has comprehensively reviewed the scientific and technological aspects of PET.
In a report on PET for food packaging applications issued in July of 2000, ILSI summarizes the large body of test data that demonstrates the safety of PET resins and compounds for food and beverage containers:
“PET itself is biologically inert if ingested, is dermally safe during handling and is not a hazard if inhaled. No evidence of toxicity has been detected in feeding studies using animals. Negative results from Ames tests and studies into unscheduled DNA synthesis indicate that PET is not genotoxic. Similar studies conducted with monomers and typical PET intermediates also indicate that these materials are essentially non-toxic and pose no threats to human health. It is important to stress that the chemistry of compounds that are used to manufacture PET shows no evidence of oestrogenic activity. There is a significant body of evidence that demonstrates that the use of PET is not a concern and is perfectly safe in this respect.”1
In 1994, ILSI published a “White Paper on Refillable Plastic Packaging Made from PET.” According to ILSI, “PET polymer has a long history of safe consumer use, which is supported by human experience and numerous toxicity studies.” In its review of migration studies, ILSI concludes: “[T]he levels of migrants potentially present in beverages packaged in PET bottles are below applicable international extraction limits that are based on safety considerations and orders of magnitude lower than levels causing adverse effects in toxicity studies. The use by consumers of PET polymer in food packaging, therefore, is demonstrated and considered safe.”2
1 Packaging Materials: 1. Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) for Food Packaging Applications. International Life Sciences Institute; 2000, Washington, DC, p. 11.2
White Paper on Refillable Plastic Packaging Made from PET (Polyethylene Phthalate). International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) – North America; 1994, p.58.
If you have any questions on anything or would like to learn more about our certified organic range or ethical business opportunity, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. Contact me here
With Much Love
Eliane Carbajal x
Connect with me on FB:www.facebook.com/elianecarbajal
E-mail: info@theorganicrevolution.com
Skype: Yecidah
Cell: +51 963 867 476
Recent Comments