FAQ

Which face cream should I use?

The Elemental range offers face creams and toners for three different skin types. These creams can be customised further in treatment with the Elemental Booster Serums.

Dry, Sensitive and Mature – these products have been formulated with the gentlest and most intensely nourishing ingredients such as rose hip and macadamia oils, rose bulgarian essential oil, and rose and chamomile hydrosols. Most women identify their skin as being dry and sensitive and we certainly find the Nurture Rose Hip Cream is our most popular cream. Because of the purity of the ingredients we use, all of our products are suitable for sensitive skin.

Normal and Combination – If your skin has some patches of oiliness, we would recommend these products as they are formulated by combining lightly astringent ingredients with nourishing oils. They are designed to assist your skin to balance.

Oily & Problem Skin – These products are specifically formulated to deal with problem skin. In general oily skin tends to be experienced by younger women. These products are formulated with naturally astringent oils and hydrosols. They may assist in the control of pimples and the balancing of the sebaceous glands.

Why use a toner?

Traditional toners contain excessive amounts of alcohol that burn and dry the skin. Elemental’s toners are formulated from certified organic flower hydrosols. They soothe and soften the skin, close the pores and assist in the balancing of sebaceous activity.

Isn’t it bad to use citrus oils on the skin?

Citrus oils can photosensitise on the skin when exposed to sunlight, which means that the skin can become over active in response to UV rays. Citrus oils are used in some Elemental products because they are particularly effective at regulating excess sebaceous activity in oily skin. They are less then 0.005% of the formula and at these quantities will not promote UV damage.

What is the emulsifying wax used in your creams?

The process of combining oils and waters to produce a cream or lotion requires an emulsifier. The wax we have chosen to use at Elemental is a blend of edible fatty acids that have been extracted from olives (cetearyl olivate & sorbitan olivate). It is a gentle, non-irritating, skin friendly emulsifier that is also used in commercial food production. Unlike most emulsifying waxes it is polyethylene glycol free. It has been approved by NASAA as an additive in our certified organic products. What we love about this wax is the beautiful, rich, silky texture it gives our creams and lotions.

What are the benefits of using mud masks?

Volcanic clays have been use by civilizations for thousands of years both externally and internally for their capacity to draw out and absorb toxins. Our skin is constantly exposed to pollutants in the modern world and it is inevitable that these are absorbed beyond the top layer of the skin. Mud masks stimulate blood circulation and heat the skin thereby promoting elimination. Elemental’s mineral mud masks are rich in naturally occurring, active minerals and come from South East Queensland.

Why don’t you have a foaming cleanser?

Foaming cleansers tend to strip away the skin’s natural oils, drying the skin out over the longer term. We find that even the most oily skin types respond well to our Green Tea Cleanser, particularly when used regularly in conjunction with Elemental’s certified organic Exfoliating Scrub and our Mineral Mud Masks.

What preservatives do you use?

The preservative system we use in our products combines and enhances the natural properties of Olive leaf extract, Grapefruit seed extract and Glyceryl caprylate. These give our products a life span of at least two years. Natural preservatives are no match for chemicals, so please support the life span of your products by dipping clean fingers in your creams and storing products away from direct sunlight in a cool environment. Once opened, Elemental products are best used within six to nine months.

Why do you use hydrosols in your products?

Hydrosols are the by-products of the steam distillation process for extracting essential oils. They are rich with the botanical properties of the plant and extremely gentle as well. We put only minimal amounts of essential oils in our products as we don’t want them to be too heavily scented and essential oils are very potent. By incorporating hydrosols in the products, we can increase their effectiveness without over-relying on the essential oils.

Why do you use aluminium containers?

What really distinguishes the Elemental range from other organic and many natural skin care ranges is our aluminium and glass packaging. Essential oils leach chemicals out of plastics thereby corrupting the products they contain. Additionally, plasticisers, used to make plastics pliable, act like oestrogens in the environment and are being linked to hormone related cancers. Elemental has minimised the exposure of the products to plastics by using aluminium and glass containers, materials that have a proven non-reactivity. Aluminium is only a problem when it is added as an ingredient in skin care products (such as deodorants) or when used to heat food (such as in aluminium cook ware). Please re-use and recycle the containers.

What’s Certified Organic?

Certified Organic means the products must have organic certification from a nationally or internationally recognised certifying body. Certified Organic products must comply with stringent standards and be monitored by the organic certifying body. These high standards cover all aspects of the processing chain to ensure that organic integrity is maintained, from seed, growing, harvesting, storage, transporting and processing, through to the finished product. Certified organic skin care uses the highest quality ingredients available, ingredients that are grown through sustainable farming methods without the use of chemical fertilisers or pesticides. According to the organic accreditation guidelines, if a product is labelled as certified organic, then it must contain at least 95% of Certified Organic content and the remaining 5% is made up of ingredients that are approved additives to certified products.

Why are you certified by NASAA?

With so few ranges in the world that have genuine organic certification through internationally recognised bodies, Elemental is proud to be Australia’s ONLY certified organic skin care range certified by NASAA (National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia). NASAA is renowned for its rigorous adherence to international organic accreditation standards.

In addition to its domestic accreditation under AQIS, NASAA was the first Australian certification body to achieve accreditation through the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM). NASAA was also the first certifier outside of Japan to achieve accreditation under the Japan Agricultural Standard (JAS) and holds accreditation under the US National Organic Program (USNOP).

Our certification through NASAA means that we have a thorough quality assurance program in place that is reflected in our handling, production and record-keeping systems. This includes maintaining up to date organic certificates for all the certified organic ingredients we use. We are audited by NASAA twice a year, one scheduled and one unannounced, to ensure that these standards are being maintained.

The Certified Organic seal on Elemental’s products is your guarantee of truly natural and organic skin food. Please enjoy them with peace of mind !