Here at This Little Life, we know that what you put on your skin and around your house is just as important as what you’re putting in your body. We source our ingredients with several principles and standards in mind: organic, regenerative farming, fair trade, testing reports as needed (ex. Mycotoxins, authenticity, heavy metals, etc.), native origins, ethical business practices, sustainable/non-leaching packaging, single source over multiple. **Ingredients include information provided by suppliers. A term omitted (not mentioning non-GMO, irradiation-free, etc) does NOT mean they are not qualified to use those terms. Certain terms/phrases are intended to be used and forthcoming for ingredients that tend to have a concern for those issues/contaminants in typical growing conditions, harvesting, manufacturing and/or packaging. If you have a concern, please contact us :)**
Base Ingredients
100% Grass Fed/Grass Finished Beef Suet - Our beef suet is only kidney fat, no trim fat. We source this from nearby states with smaller farms that practice regenerative farming practices. While it is not USDA Organic, regenerative farming is known to be a step up from the requirements of USDA Organic. Organic certification can also be unattainable for small farmers due to the costs associated. Regenerative farming is an effort to create farming that is in harmony with nature. This not only helps them to create nutrient rich soil that our land has been depleted of but also create biodiversity amongst their farm and surrounding ecosystems. It’s as “untouched” as farming can be!
Read about how we render our suet here!
Calendula Moroccan Argan Oil - Our gorgeous golden calendula Moroccan argan oil is infused in house with Egypt-grown USDA Organic calendula flowers and USDA organic cold pressed, unrefined Moroccan argan oil sourced in Morocco. This is the oil we use primarily for all of our whipped tallow balms except for the Vitamin Beef (unscented) and it is used in a few other skincare products we offer. *TREENUT ALLERGEN*
Calendula Olive Oil - We infuse our calendula olive oil in house too! We use the same USDA organic calendula flowers in all of our ingredients and our USDA organic cold pressed extra virgin, Bureau Veritas certified, olive oil is sourced from a few different countries that olives are native to (Italy, Tunisia, Greece or Portugal), but we choose options with a single source from one of these countries when possible.
Beeswax - We source beeswax locally when possible from small beekeepers or from suppliers that are USDA Organic & Oregon Tilth Certified Organic (OTCO), USA or Canada sourced natural yellow beeswax that is filtered only to remove any debris. It is not further refined like some white or other beeswax. "Organic" beeswax is only considered organic when the bees, the hive and processing meets pretty strict requirements by the USDA. We don’t place a huge level of importance on the organic labeling for this since bees roam where they please so to be organic, they would need to know the entire radius the bees might travel to. Bees can fly up to about a 5 mile radius from their hive in search of food and with some rare instances of up to 9 miles. Controlling that large of a radius isn't always possible, especially when sourcing from small beekeepers vs commercial.
Other Ingredients Used
Herbs/Spices/Powders/Similar:
Activated Charcoal - non-GMO, irradiation-free, food grade
Arrowroot Powder - USDA Organic, non-GMO, irradiation-free
Cacao Powder - USDA Organic, non-GMO
Calendula Flowers - As previously mentioned, our calendula flowers are USDA Organic and harvested in one of their native countries, Egypt. We opt for our herbs being sourced in their native country to ensure proper nutrients since this is their optimal growing conditions, maintain consistency in their active compounds and focus on preserving biodiversity. Non-GMO
Chamomile Flowers - USDA Organic, Certified Organic by Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA)
Chicory Root - USDA Organic
Cinnamon (Ceylon) - USDA Organic, non-GMO, irradiation-free, sourced in native country of Sri Lanka
Cloves - USDA Organic
Coffee Beans - Freshly, in-house ground USDA Organic coffee beans are regeneratively farmed. Our supplier provides us with third-party testing to ensure the coffee beans are free of pesticides, mold, mycotoxins and other contaminants. They even test their levels of antioxidants to ensure the highest quality coffee! We use both regular roasted beans as well as decaffeinated coffee beans. The decaffeinated version is decaf by the Swiss Method which involves zero chemicals or solvents, only soaking in water to remove the caffeine and is done in Canada.
Colloidal Oatmeal - USDA Organic, non-GMO
Cranberry Powder - USDA Organic and US grown, wild cranberries.
Ginger Root Cuts/Powder - USDA Organic
Guarana Powder - USDA Organic, non-GMO
Himalayan Pink Mineral Salt - True pink "Himalayan" salt is actually mined in the Khewra Salt Mine in Pakistan, which is where ours is sourced! The pink hue comes from naturally occurring minerals but primarily iron oxide.
Lavender Flowers - Our USDA Organic dried lavender flowers are sourced in Albania which is one of the places known to be a native origin for lavender. Lavender is native to the Mediterranean region of Europe so other countries we would consider sourcing from include: Portugal, Spain, Greece, Cyprus and France. It is important to source plants from their native land to ensure proper nutrients from optimal growing conditions, consistency in their active compounds, and encourage the preservation of biodiversity.
Lemon Balm - USDA Organic, non-GMO, irradiation-free
Magnesium Chloride - genuine Zechstein magnesium chloride
Magnesium Hydroxide - third party tested, made in USA (Good Manufacturing Practice and FDA registered facility)
Marshmallow Root Powder - USDA Organic, non-GMO, irradiation-free
Mullein Leaf - Our mullein leaf is wildcrafted and harvested by us here at TBS! While not USDA Organic, we only forage on untouched land away from roadways, pesticides and other pollution. We follow ethical foraging practice like the "rule of thirds," meaning we never take more than 1/3 of any plant available. We air dry or freeze dry all of our foraged plants depending on what they will be used for.
Nutmeg - USDA Organic, non-GMO
Peppermint Leaf - USDA Organic, non-GMO, irradiation-free
Rose Buds & Petals - USDA Organic, non-GMO, irradiation-free
Rosehips - USDA Organic, non-GMO, irradiation-free
Rosemary - USDA Organic, non-GMO, irradiation-free, sourced in native country of Morocco
Sandalwood - While not USDA Organic, our sandalwood is wildcrafted
Sunflower Lecithin - USDA Organic, cold pressed, non-GMO
Vanilla Beans - USDA Organic, sourced from small farmers in Malagasy
White Kaolin Clay - cruelty-free, made in USA
Oils/Liquids:
Castor Oil - USDA Organic, glass bottled, hexane free, cold-pressed
Coconut Oil - USDA Organic, unrefined, cold-pressed
Jojoba Oil - USDA Organic, unrefined, cold-pressed
Pumpkin Seed Oil - USDA Organic, unrefined, food-grade, cold-pressed
Rosehip Oil - USDA Organic, unrefined, extra virgin
Sugar Cane Alcohol - USDA Organic sugar cane is used to make the ethanol used in our perfumes
Vitamin E Oil - USDA Organic, non-GMO, unrefined (used as antioxidant/shelf-life extender)
Witch Hazel - USDA Organic or wildcrafted, glass bottled, made in USA, third party tested for heavy metals, GCMS and microbial, non-GMO
Cleaning Ingredients Not Previously Listed:
Coco Glucoside - Natural, non-ionic surfactant derived from chemically reacting fatty alcohols from coconut oil and glucose (sugar). Unscented and gentle on sensitive skin. CAS number: 1613372-14-7
Decyl Glucoside - Natural, non-ionic surfactant derived from plant-derived substances that are made from fats, alcohols and sugars. Specifically, it is an alkyl glucoside made from the glucose reaction from the corn starch with fatty alcohol. CAS number: 54549-25-6
Enzymes - Our enzymes are plant-based and are used to help break down specific types of proteins depending on the product they're in! We do not use enzymes derived from animals, synthetic or microorganisms, only plants. Protease, Lipase, Amylase and Cellulase.
Isopropyl Alcohol - We use 70% isopropyl alcohol in some of our products. This alcohol doesn't evaporate as quickly as higher percentages do which allows it to aid in disinfecting. CAS number: 67-63-0
Sodium Hydroxide/Lye - Food grade, 100% pure lye. CAS number: 1310-73-2
Vegetable Glycerin - made in the USA, food grade, pharmaceutical grade. CAS number: 56-81-5