California Baby Ingredient Standards

In addition to chemicals of concern, our "No-No" List also addresses food allergy issues. Because our list is too long to list in its entirety, our short list highlights the most common allergens and additives we choose to avoid.

The California Baby "No-No" List (partial) – We've listed what we believe to be the worst of the worst offenders and encourage you to do what our founder did over 20 years ago and compare it to products you’re using on your family.

THE CALIFORNIA BABY NO-NO LIST (PARTIAL)

• Animal derived ingredients (ultra puried lanolin permitted)
• Avocado
• Benzyl Acetate
• BHA and BHT
• Behentrimonium Chloride
• Benzalkonium chloride
• BUTYLOCTYL SALICYLATE
• CETRIMONIUM CHLORIDE
• Chemical sunscreen actives – oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homo-salate and octinoxate
• Cocamidopropyl Betaine
• Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
• Diary (Casein)
• Ethanolamines (MEA/DEA/TEA)
• Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)
• Ethylhexylglycerin
• Ethoxylated ingredients (1-4 dioxane contamination)

• Formaldehyde and formaldehyde donors
• Gluten (wheat, barley, rye)
• Hydroquinone
• Methylisothiazolinone and Methylchloroisothiazolinone
• Parabens
• Peanuts
• Phenethyl alcohol
• PhenoxyethanolPhthalates (DBP, DEHP, DEP and others)
• Retinyl palmitate and Retinol (Vitamin A)
• Sesame Seed Oil
• Silicone
• Sodium Nitrate
• Sorbic acid
• Soy
• Sulfates (SLS, SLES, etc.)
• Sunflower Seed Oil
• Synthetic fragrance
• Tree Nuts including Almond, Argan, Shea (coconut permitted)
• Triclosan and Triclocarban
• TRIDECETH-10


CALIFORNIA BABY INGREDIENT STANDARDS MEET OR EXCEED

• The NPA Standard for Personal Care Products
• Ecocert Standard for Natural Cosmetics
• Cosmos Standard
• Whole Foods Premium Body Care Ingredient Standards
• Natrue Standard

Because no current FDA definition for "natural" currently exists within the context of manufactured cosmetics products, California Baby utilizes the many standards for different"natural" certification seals available as our minimum requirements for "natural" ingredients. These standards differ substantially because of the lack of a definition from the FDA or FTC.

We define "natural" as ingredients that come or are made from a renewable resource found in nature without petroleum compounds. Natural ingredients may be made only by the allowed processes in the above referenced standards.

We carefully review how each ingredient is manufactured to ensure compliance with our strict standards so as to avoid potentially dangerous additives or harmful by-products created during the process.



Currently, it's easy for brands to "greenwash" their products, meaning marketing them as more organic and natural than their ingredients actually are.

Jessica Iclisoy Founder, California Baby


OUR INGREDIENT PROCESSING

We carefully review how each ingredient is manufactured to ensure compliance with our strict standards so as to avoid dangerous additives or harmful by-products that may be created during the manufacturing process.

Here is an example of our allowed manufacturing process for glycerin (organic). The processes are all approved by National Organic Program standards:

California Baby products are made with mineral and botanically derived ingredients or certified organic ingredients. Complete ingredient listings appear on each product page on our website and on product labels.

BOTANICAL INGREDIENTS (PARTIAL LISTING)

• Anise seed extract (Pimpinella Anisum (Anise) Seed Extract)
• Basil extract (Ociumum Basilicum (Basil) Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract)
• Candelilla (Euphorbia cerifera) Wax
• Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Oleosomes
• Coconut Oil (Cocos Nucifera)
• Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba (Guar) Gum
• French Lavender
• Quinoa (hydrolyzed)
• Rice Starch
• Rosemary Extract
• Safflower Oil
• Tapioca starch

MINERAL/MINERAL BASED INGREDIENTS

• Kaolin Clay
• Sodium Bicarbonate
• Titanium Dioxide
• Zinc Oxide
• Magnesium Stearate

BOTANICALLY DERIVED INGREDIENTS (PARTIAL LISTING)

• Brassicyl Isoleucinate Esylate and Brassica Alcohol
(waxes from the cabbage plant family)
• Caprylic / Capric Triglycerides (sustainable coconut & palm)
• Cetearyl alcohol (sustainable coconut)
• Cetyl Alcohol (sustainable coconut)
• Coco-Caprylate (sustainable coconut & palm)
• Coco-glucoside (sustainable coconut / palm kernel oil)
• Decyl Glucoside (sustainable palm kernel oil)
• Glyceryl Caprylate (sustainable palm kernel or coconut oil)
• Isoamy Laurate (sustainable palm kernel oil / sugar cane/ sugar beet)
• L-Arginine (sugar)
• Lauryl glucoside (sustainable coconut / palm)
• Lecithin (safflower oil)
• Levulinic acid; Sodium levulinate (sugar cane)
• Phytic acid (rice bran)
• Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate (sustainable coconut/palm kernel oil / castor oil)
• Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate (sustainable coconut / palm kernel oil)
• Polyglyceryl-4 esters (sustainable coconut / palm and safflower oil)
• Squalane (olive oil)
• Stearic Acid (sustainable palm)
• Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate (licorice root)
• Xanthan Gum (corn)

CERTIFIED ORGANIC INGREDIENTS

• Organic Aloe Vera (decolorized)
• Organic Calendula Extract (we grow & extract our own calendula)
• Organic Canola Oil
• Organic Carnauba Wax
• Organic Colloidal Oatmeal
• Organic Corn Starch
• Organic French Lavender
• Organic Oenothera Biennis Oil (Evening Primrose)
• Organic Glycerin
• Organic Jojoba Oil
• Organic Linum Usitatissmum Seed Oil (Flaxseed)
• Organic Manihot Utilissima Starch (tapioca starch)
• Organic Rice Concentrate
• Organic Rosemary Extract
• Organic Soap bark
• Organic Tea Tree

ALLOWED NON-NATURALLY DERIVED SYNTHETICS

• Allantoin (removing in 2018)
• p-Anisic acid (replacing in 2018 with a new exclusive naturally-derived ingredient)
• Panthenol (removing in 2018)
• Polyaminopropyl Biguanide (replacing in 2018 with a new exclusive naturally-derived ingredient)
• Sodium Benzoate (replacing in 2018 with a new exclusive naturally-derived ingredient)

All cosmetic ingredient standards as well as organic regulations, allow the use of some (limited) non-naturally derived synthetic ingredients. We may use a permitted synthetic material, such as sodium benzoate (we use this in our shampoos and bubble baths at a minute percentage), but only when we have not found a readily available safe, effective, plant or mineral based ingredient. But we don’t just stop there. Instead, we continue research and development to replace non-naturally derived synthetics.

We constantly seek new botanically derived or organic alternatives to non-naturally derived synthetics and work closely with our suppliers to create new, innovative plant based ingredients.



Ultimately what I would like to do is put legislation on the books so just as when you buy organic broccoli, for instance, it is highly regulated. It is a federal law. If the organic farmer doesn't follow that, there are real penalties, says Iclisoy. In the natural skin care and organic skin care space, that doesn't exist.

Jessica Iclisoy Founder, California Baby


Learn more about the Natural Advisory Council, a non-profit organization that California Baby founded to combat “greenwashing” and advocate for legislature in the natural market place.

OUR FDA REGISTERED, CERTIFIED ORGANIC, & SOLAR POWERED U.S.A FACILITY

California Baby products are exclusively produced in our own FDA registered, certified organic facility located in Los Angeles, California. Because we do not produce any other brands’ products, there is no cross contamination from outside formulas.

California Baby is proudly an EPA Green Power Partner. As a result of generating up to 80% of our electrical use at our manufacturing facility and headquarters through on-site solar power, we are doing our part to reduce the environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity use.

The California Baby manufacturing plant is a pharmaceutical grade facility. Because cosmetics do not have a regulated manufacturing procedure, we follow the same manufacturing protocol for our skincare/cosmetics that we use for our over-the-counter drug products (sunscreens, diaper rash creams, eczema products). Lacking cosmetic regulation, California Baby has taken it upon itself to manufacture its cosmetics to the higher OTC drug standard.