We get asked a lot about the ingredients here at Earthley — are they all organic? If not, why not?
The truth is, no, we’re not 100% organic. Why not? Because a few ingredients are very hard to find organic, or are really expensive (we’re talking 4 – 5 times as much as the non-organic varieties).
We always source non-GMO, minimally processed ingredients. We’ll never use things that have contaminants, no matter what. But sometimes we have a choice to make: do we want to be 100% organic…or do we want to be affordable?
Clean, whole ingredients that allow us to make affordable products are our top priority. Because what good is a perfect, completely organic product if no one can even afford it? Then we’re not helping anyone! (Or not many people, anyway.)
As we grow, and we are buying in larger quantities (and get better pricing, and access new sources), we’re adding more and more organic ingredients to our line up. We know many of our customers desire this, and we do too — we just won’t sacrifice affordable prices to do it.
What IS Organic?
Overall, about 90% of our ingredients are organic, barring things like salt or clay, which are in-organic substances that are not eligible for certification.
All of our herbs are organic.
About 80% of our butters and oils, including:
- Shea butter
- Mango butter
- Apricot oil
- Olive oil
- Coconut oil
- Cocoa butter
- Evening primrose oil
- Raspberry seed oil
- Jojoba oil
- Neem oil
- Pumpkin seed oil
- Rosehip seed oil
- Hemp seed oil
We’re always looking for new, affordable sources for the remaining butters and oils, so that we can source more and more organics.
Most of our “other” ingredients aren’t organic, because they are often in-organic ingredients (and not eligible for organic certification). Things like activated charcoal, clay, etc.
We do use organic alcohol in all of our tinctures, and organic non-GMO palm-derived glycerin in our non-alcohol tinctures.
What About Clean Containers?
We’ve been asked a few times — why do you use plastic in your packaging?
It’s a numbers game, again.
A lot of our competitors use 100% glass containers. And their product prices are often two or three times as much as ours. That’s because glass containers cost more to buy, they cost more to ship, and they command a premium in other ways. (Extra shipping supplies like bubble wrap, extra time to prepare them to ship, extra cost built-in in case products break and need replaced, etc.)
We use glass where it’s most important. All our herbal tinctures are packed in glass, all the time.
Our other products, like lip balms, lotions, and deodorant, are packaged in recyclable plastic. They’re not going to break when we ship them to you, they’re less expensive to ship, and they allow us to keep our prices lower.
We have our standards for safety…and beyond that, we want to be affordable.
Will These Things Change?
Yes, over time.
As the business grows, we’ll be able to source better containers. (Some of the container styles we use don’t even come in glass currently.) We’ll be able to get more organic ingredients.
We are always trying to do better…for our customers, and for the environment. It just takes time. Similar to how you don’t make changes for your family overnight, we don’t make changes as a business overnight, either. Don’t worry, though…it will come. 🙂
Still have questions? Feel free to email [email protected]!