Unfortunately, many regulations of the European Union create unnecessary confusion and panic. And perhaps quite unexpectedly here too, in Ekokoza! Not surprisingly, the bright red signs warning about the toxicity of essential oils, mineral filters such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, surfactants or even some oils are really not very pleasant at first glance. And since we keep getting more and more questions on this topic, we have a whole article right here for you, which we hope will explain everything properly!
Regulation (EC) No. 1272/2008 on classification, labeling and packaging of substances and mixtures
So this is it. A few paragraphs were enough and the manufacturers had to redo the labels of some products and their descriptions on the e-shop pages so that everything was in accordance with this regulation. We'll try to summarize it in a way that makes it more digestible for you, and so that you don't have to frown in front of your screens.
This regulation applies to all products that contain some chemical substances, which, with a slight exaggeration, is almost all these days. We could almost be surprised that these warning squares are not also tattooed on rolls...
Our products
Here at Ekokoze, this mainly concerns essential and essential oils and essential oils, the above-mentioned mineral filters, which we talked about very often last year, then active substances such as surfactants and emulsifiers, and surprisingly, even some natural preservatives or plant-based oils such as sulfated castor oil.
It is then understandable that when you are planning how to make some wonderful smelling home cosmetics, for example some great face cream, sparkling water or suntan oil, and your eye falls on a red label with the scary words "highly toxic to aquatic organisms, with long-term effect", it can quite confuse you or even lift you out of your chair. The reason why we want to make our own natural cosmetics is often precisely to avoid harming aquatic organisms, so what does that mean?!, you may be asking yourself...
Well, here we have the answer for you!
Quantity comes first
If you add a few grams of mineral filter to your sunscreen, there is no toxicity at all. This substance is toxic if you operate with it by the kilo. As we told you some time ago, if a bag with 25 kg of zinc oxide or titanium dioxide falls into your pond, the fish will certainly not thank you, but if a little bit of sunscreen with this mineral filter washes off in the sea, no one will be harmed. In this direction, on the other hand, chemical filters that kill sea corals, which we already wrote about in the article Why say no to regular sunscreens, are a big problem?.
It has to be there, the train doesn't go through it
Because mineral filters, essential oils, etc. they are officially chemical substances according to the tables, they fall under certain legislation, and therefore they must also have appropriate markings and warnings.
Despite the fact that few people would just dump kilos of zinc oxide into a pond with fish for fun, in theory it could happen, so that's why there has to be such a label. It is actually a kind of guarantee against "stupidity". It would be difficult to argue in court with a person who would complain about the destruction of his entire pond microflora, because it was not written on the package that it is not allowed... :)
Other substances, on the other hand, may contain an ingredient that is labeled as irritating, but even if the percentage of this irritating ingredient in the entire product is the smallest, the symbol and warning simply must appear on the product.
What about essential oils?
The above-mentioned essential oils, essential oils and essential oils, which we use a lot and gladly in the countless recipes for home cosmetics, tend to be a big question. This is then a surprise when it is discovered that they are actually highly toxic. When we would like to ask ourselves in the initial panic, how is it possible that we are still alive?
But yes, we are alive, because our old well-known and beloved saying "everything in moderation" applies here as well. If you don't think to start drinking liters of oils or essential oils instead of water, you will be fine. Mr. Karel Hádek talks very nicely about it in his article Safety symbols and their meaning, if you are interested in the issue, we recommend all ten!
If we were to be afraid of these symbols, we would have to settle for home cosmetics without fragrance. In addition, aromatherapy is medicine for both soul and body, so we would be depriving the world not only of wonderful shades of all possible scents, but also of their wonderful therapeutic effects.
No fears
You don't have to worry. If we present you with a recipe for natural cosmetics or other products, we are fully aware of all the ingredients and their quantities, and our recipes are composed in such a way as not to harm anyone. As long as you don't consume the zinc oxide instead of mixing it properly into the mixture, you'll be fine. Or, if you want to scent your cosmetics with an essential oil, drop it there, not in your eye!
And if you're experimenting with your own recipes, we can't recommend anything other than using common sense when dosing all the ingredients.
Be aware of bright red signs, definitely don't ignore them, but at the same time keep in mind that you should always think about their reason and meaning. But what you should always pay attention to are allergies to various ingredients in recipes and cosmetics, they can trouble a person much more, and here increased caution is more than justified.
And how did you react to the warnings and warnings? Did everything fly out of the shopping cart or were you not intimidated?
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