Our skincare products are made with the finest ingredients nature has to offer, many of which are organic. Creams and lotions are made in two phases; one of "water" (we use floral hydrosols), the other; oil. These are then emulsified with both natural ingredients (beeswax, stearic acid (vegetable) and eco certified emulsifiers (generally cetearyl olivate and sorbitan olivate, a product derived from olives). When oil and water are together, protection from bacterial contamination is an important consideration. Our products are protected by preservative, also eco certified (dehydroacetic acid and benzyl alcohol) to prolong their useability and shelf life. A use by date is updated on each batch, and products have a shelf life of two years from date of manufacture. As balms contain only oils they do not need preservative. All of the oils we use have their own unique properties; some have natural preservative qualities which give added protection to our products.