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Explanation of ingredients and information about our products
Our products
The high quality make-up products of the Dutch brand Unity Cosmetics are manufactured with the greatest care and extra attention to ingredients, we take all possible allergies in account. Our products fully comply with European legislation and are free of animal testing. We only work with known and legally approved raw materials.
Below are the most important features of our products:
• HYPOALLERGENIC
• FRAGRANCE-FREE
• PARABEN-FREE
• LANOLIN FREE
• NICKEL FREE
• COBAL FREE
• EUXYL FREE
• PERU BALM FREE
• CATHON FREE
• PROPYLENE GLYCOL FREE
• HYPOALLERGENIC
(We are a small brand from Amsterdam that puts a lot of emphasis on the ingredients and our customers. We do our best to ensure the best possible quality, both product and translation. Please let us know if we have made a mistake or could do something better. We welcome any feedback!)
HYPOALLERGENIC
The products of Unity Cosmetics are all hypoallergenic. This means that the chance of an allergic reaction is extremely small. An allergy can never be completely excluded, one can also be allergic to a very skin-friendly ingredient. But the ingredients and their combinations are carefully considered in all products. Known skin-irritating ingredients are banned and we try to add as many additional skin-friendly soothing ingredients as possible. And if in doubt, you can buy a sample of most products to try out first. We always recommend that you try the product on a spot on the inside of your elbow. If you experience a hypersensitivity or allergic reaction to the product, this will generally manifest itself within 24 hours in the form of itching, slight redness and sometimes small bumps or light skin flakes. The chance of this happening with Unity Cosmetics products is extremely small!
FRAGRANCE-FREE
Perfume is the main cause of allergies in cosmetic products. It is present in almost all products, from detergent to shampoo, from food to hand soap. It is very difficult to recognise perfumes in the list of ingredients: There are many essential oils, for example the commonly used 'citronellol' (citrus oil), but there are also various unknown names such as 'benzyl cinnamate', 'lyral' or generic names such as 'fragrance mix'. A fragrance mix usually consists of a mixture of various scents, namely eugenol, isoeugenol, geraniol, hydroxycitronellol, oakmoss, cinnamon aldehyde, a-amyl cinnamon aldehyde and cinnamon alcohol.
Almost every cosmetic brand incorporates perfume, essential oils or perfume blends into make-up products to disguise and enhance the scent of the ingredients. Sometimes synthetically manufactured, and sometimes natural (like rose oil). A pity, because perfume quickly causes hypersensitivity or allergy and is absolutely a superfluous ingredient in make-up; after all, you use make-up to look more beautiful, not to smell good! Unity Cosmetics does not use any perfume, perfume mixes or essential oils in its makeup products. This makes Unity Cosmetics absolutely distinctive compared to other makeup brands!
PARABEN-FREE
Parabens are a cheap preservative added to many different products. You find it everywhere; in food, candy, and also in cosmetics. In the list of ingredients, you will often see words ending with 'paraben', for example, 'methylparaben' or 'butylparaben'. Then you know that it contains parabens. Although parabens are not banned, there has been much discussion in recent years about the role of parabens in the development of breast cancer. Various studies have not come to an unequivocal conclusion regarding parabens; whether or not they are harmful cannot be said with certainty. But knowing that there are many discussions about it, Unity Cosmetics decided to be on the safe side and not use parabens at all. Instead of parabens, we choose other preservatives that may be more expensive, but that do not involve any risk. We never use parabens as a preservative, but also NEVER Kathon CG, Euxyl K400 or Formaldehyde (these last three preservatives are known to irritate and are therefore banned by Unity Cosmetics).
WOOL FAT FREE / LANONINE FREE
Wool grease is also known as Lanolin Alcohol. It is a solid, hard type of fat that can have a sealing effect on the pores of the skin, causing inflammation. Some people are allergic to it. Incidentally, it is only the 'yellow wool fat/lanonin' that has a sealing effect. The purified white wool fat/lanoline has a different structure and does not seal the skin. In the products of Unity Cosmetics, no form of wool fat or lanolin is used, so there is no sealing of the skin.
NICKEL-FREE
Nickel is a mineral, derived from limotite, granirite and pendalite (three mineral types of which the last only occurs in magma, which comes to the surface in volcanic explosions). To determine if Nickel is present in a cosmetic product, look for NI (Nickel) in the list of ingredients (also called INCI). It is an ingredient that is NOT present in Unity Cosmetics' products. Several of our products do contain the ingredient Iron Oxide, a widely used and safe ingredient that is used by most cosmetic brands because of its colour. This ingredient is related to iron, cobalt, copper and zinc, but has no chemical structure similar to iron or iron oxide. Iron oxide (CI77499/77491/77492/77489) is derived from a natural mineral (a type of iron) called 'hematite', which is substantially different from limotite, granirite and pendalite (components of nickel). Bringing hematite into contact with oxygen creates iron oxide, which is often used as a pigment in cosmetics (it is also commonly found in food).
Although iron oxide is a safe ingredient and not at all known to be an irritant, it is possible that someone with a nickel allergy has a greater chance of an allergy to, or skin irritation from, many other substances, including iron, cobalt, copper, zinc, water, soapsuds, etc. The chance of being allergic to iron oxide is very small, it is an ingredient that hardly ever triggers an allergy (unlike nickel, which is known as an 'allergenic substance'). Nickel is common in food and in stainless steel, and wearing piercings/earrings/straps is often a trigger for a nickel allergy. It manifests itself in skin rashes that itch and can cause watery blisters. Unity Cosmetics products do not contain nickel.
COBALT-FREE
Cobalt is a silver-coloured metal that gives a blue colour to (Chinese) porcelain and glass. Cobalt is a mineral, but also occurs naturally in the human body (it is a component of B12 that occurs naturally in the human body, the human body therefore contains about 1 to 2 grams of cobalt). Cobalt is also often found in meteorites, together with nickel and iron. Cobalt is generally used for making metal compounds (e.g. steel pins for bone fractures), metal products such as buckles and tools (e.g. scissors), magnets and batteries, and is therefore often used together with Nickel and Iron. It is an ingredient also often found in cement, hair dye (especially in shades of brown) and in printing ink. You can recognise cobalt in the ingredients list by the symbol Co. Cobalt Chloride or Cobalt Dichloride is a chloride compound of cobalt (it is pink and powdery) and is therefore often mentioned in the same breath as cobalt. You can recognise Cobalt Chloride or Cobalt Dichloride in the list of ingredients by the symbol CoCL2. Cobalt and Cobalt (di)Chloride are known allergens, and are prone to skin allergy, especially when used in combination with Nickel. But beware, an allergy to Cobalt (or Cobalt (di)Chloride) alone is rare; avoiding the substance Cobalt (or Cobalt (di)Chloride) is almost never the solution to a Cobalt allergy. People with a Cobalt allergy are usually (in 75% of cases) also allergic to Nickel and/or Chromium (Nickel, Chromium and Cobalt are often used together in the production of metal compounds). If there is a Cobalt allergy, there is usually also an allergy to Nickel and/or Chromium, and it is precisely these last two raw materials that cause the most nuisance/complaints when there is an allergy. Both Cobalt and Cobalt (di)Chloride are not present in Unity Cosmetics' products. This also applies to the skin products of Zarqa offered in this webshop.
EUXYL FREE
Euxyl K400 is a preservative, consisting of two components: Phenoxyethanol (80%) and Methyl-dibromoglutaronitrile (20%). Euxyl K400 can only be called Euxyl K400 if BOTH substances are mentioned on the list of ingredients (inci). So Euxyl K400 consists of 80% Phenoxyethanol. This is a skin-friendly ingredient that is often used in cosmetics. It is a transparent oil-like liquid that ensures that products that contain water (such as mascara and foundation) do not spoil. Unity Cosmetics' pencils (eye pencils, lip pencils and concealer pencils) contain this skin-friendly ingredient Phenoxyethanol. In addition, Euxyl K400 consists for 20% of Methyl-dibromoglutaronitrile. There has been a lot of research into the effect of Methyldibromoglubatronitrile and the conclusion is that it is an allergenic ingredient. In other words: Methyldibromoglubatronitrile is known to cause allergic reactions.
The European Union has banned the use of Euxyl K400 in cosmetics since 2007, because Methyldibromoglubatronitrile is contained in Euxyl K400. However, the use of phenoxyethanol is not related to this: Phenoxyethanol is a skin-friendly ingredient and may therefore be used within the European Union. Unity Cosmetics' products are manufactured within the European Union, and therefore do NOT contain Euxyl K400 (this preservative is not allowed to be used by manufacturers within the European Union). Also the skin products of Zarqa, which are offered in this webshop, do not contain Euxyl K400.
PERU BALSAM-FREE
Peru balsam is a plant substance produced by a tree called Myroxylon Balsamum. This tree grows in Central America, particularly in El Salvador. The substance is very complex, consisting of several components that are not all known yet. Components that make up Perubalsam include cinnamic acid, eugenol and vanilla. In the list of ingredients, Peru balsam is known as Myroxylon Pereirae. In the past, Peru balsam was used in haemorrhoid ointment, burn ointment and for chilblains and winter feet. Nowadays, this ingredient is hardly used at all, as it can cause allergic reactions. The constituents of Peru Balsam (such as vanilla) are still often used as perfume raw materials. Some Perubalsam components are also used as flavouring in food (cinnamic acid and vanilla, for example), and even in dentistry; the component Eugenol is often used by dentists during root canal treatment. Peru balsam has a high risk of causing skin allergy. An allergy to Perubalsam also often means that there is a Perfume allergy, because the ingredients of Perubalsam are used in perfumes. Unity Cosmetics' products do not contain Peruba balm or Perfume. This also applies to the Zarqa skin products offered in this webshop. So you can use all these products without any problems, even if you have a Perubalsam allergy.
CATHON FREE
Kathlon CG is a preservative that consists of two ingredients: Methyl-isothiazolinone and Methyl-chloro-isothiazolinone. If one of the two ingredients is listed on the incil list, or both are listed, then the product contains Kathon CG. These ingredients, collectively called Kathlon CG, are often used in washable products such as shampoo. However, Kathlon CG is also used in other products such as make-up. Although both ingredients can be used in cosmetics, it is now clear that people with very sensitive skin can have a negative reaction to them when they are used in a product that sits on the skin and is not washed out immediately. Of all people with a contact allergy, 1.7% react negatively to Kathlon CG (making it an ingredient that can cause a negative skin reaction for a very small group). Unity Cosmetics' products do not contain Kathlon CG. The products of Zarqa offered in this webshop do not contain Kathlon CG either.
PROPYLENE GLYCOL-FREE
Unity Cosmetics' mascara and liquid foundation contain propylene glycol. Propylene glycol (also called 1,2-propanediol PG or MPG) is a colourless and odourless ingredient found in the smoke plume of a cigarette. It is also found in the artificial smoke used in discos and festivals to create a 'mist'. In the cosmetics industry, it is added as a solvent, moisturising agent (it retains water), or preservative. It is an ingredient used particularly in moisturising products. In the list of ingredients, this ingredient can be recognised as 1,2-propanediol PG or MPG. It is an ingredient to which people in general do not easily react. In Unity Cosmetics' range, there are only 2 products that contain propylene glycol: The mascara (regardless of colour, so both black and brown mascara), and the Liquid Foundation (all colours). In all other Unity Cosmetics products, propylene glycol is NOT used, it's only in the foundation and the mascara. Besides Unity Cosmetics products, we also have some skin products from Zarqa in our webshop. The light day cream and the day/night cream do not contain propylene glycol. The Cleansing Milk and Cleansing Tonic do contain propylene glycol.
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Unity Cosmetics Europe B.V.
Van Hallstraat 705
1051 JE Amsterdam
The Netherlands
VAT NL862543265B01
CoC 82623651