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FAIR TRADE
SOPHYTO’s agricultural raw materials come from certified suppliers who support a number of community projects in a variety of countries as diverse as Bulgaria, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Nepal, South Africa, Italy, India, Somalia and many others. They work closely with local famers and producers, offering financial support as well as managing their exports. This support empowers farmers and farm workers to lift themselves out of poverty by investing in their farms and communities, protecting the environment and developing the business skills necessary to compete in the global marketplace. By SOPHYTO formulas averaging 95% of organic ingredients, this means we can truly support farming communities as opposed to the petrochemical industry.
CRUELTY FREE
Our work and support with organizations such as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and Vegan Society lets our caring consumers understand that by purchasing cruelty-free products they can help save rabbits, mice, guinea pigs, rats and other animals. Hundreds of thousands of these animals are poisoned, blinded and killed every year in outdated and ineffective product tests for shampoos, household cleaners, cosmetics, hairsprays and other personal care and household items. Although more than 600 companies have banned all animal tests forever, some corporations still force substances into animals' stomachs and drip chemicals into rabbits' eyes. These tests are not required by law and they often produce inaccurate and misleading results—even if a product has blinded an animal, it can still be marketed to you.
LOCAL & SMALL BUSINESS
Our social principles help develop ecologically responsible production, processing and distribution chains, emphasizing local systems. We are often led to believe that big business is more efficient, but actually smaller businesses are more efficient. This is quite true in agriculture, food processing and textiles because they use more labor and less material resources. Many local and traditional crafts are being lost – the time has come where we need to choose a future that will enrich and sustain future generations. The alternative is to consciously build an economy and a culture that can sustain us into the future. Local businesses are our starting point.
TRANSPARENCY
SOPHYTO is a brand to trust, our principles don’t allow us to simply talk a good game. Our standards are based upon principles that require the maximum amount of organic ingredients and minimum synthetic ingredients, minimum processing of ingredients and clear labeling so that consumers can make an informed choice about the product (s) they are purchasing. These standards also contain criteria that means ingredients must be assessed to not be harmful to human health and their manufacture and use must cause minimum environmental impact.
SOPHYTO totally supports the agricultural industry as opposed to the petrochemical industry – quite evident from our exceptional high levels of certified organic ingredients which average 95%+. But it didn’t just end there; our five partnering production sites, four in the UK and one in Italy, underwent exhaustive individual assessment and licensing for organic handling, packaging, manufacturing and waste management, based upon generating ecological, social and economic practices. SOPHYTO’s eco-efficient systems are implemented by simply utilizing fewer resources that create less waste and pollution. For example, waste generated at our UK facilities consists mainly of biodegradable materials, therefore it can be taken to our recycling facility where composting takes place within enclosed ‘clamps’ and oxygen levels and temperature can be monitored and managed to ensure wastes are sanitized and odors contained. All material is composted to meet BSI PAS 100 specification. These standards are made for: raw materials, production techniques and quality control and ensure reliable certified and quality assured composts. The end result... a compost product which is used as a soil improver, topdressing, or is blended with soils for use in agricultural or restoration projects.
These extreme ethical principles create a new generation of heavily endorsed eco-premium skincare that encompasses: conservation, biodiversity, natural resources, waste management, sustainable development and biodegradability.
ACTIVES SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS
Sophyto began as the brainchild of Karen Sinclair Drake who found inspiration from complementary and alternative medicine which emphasizes the body's innate ability to heal and maintain itself. Taking this identical concept to skincare made natural sense to healthy skincare maintenance where the products themselves recognize the whole person rather than just a part of them.
Different systems in skincare products work in many different ways. Conventional chemical-based products work by suppressing the symptoms without actually dealing with the cause of the skin problem. For example, if someone has acne, s/he will traditionally use a drying chemical and an antibacterial agent to kill the bacteria in the pimples. Sophyto would recommend a course of topical Prebiotic Actives which helps support skin friendly flora whilst suppressing the P. acnes bacterium – this is what we refer to as treating the cause not the symptoms. Symptoms are the body's reaction to the cause of a health problem and simply stopping the symptoms does not cure the problem, it just masks its presence.
Sophyto products recognize the holistic integrity of each and every individual person, hence it does not differentiate between skin type, sexuality, age or ethnicity because each person's body will only use what it needs from that product. Sophyto therefore works to individually balance and supplement each person’s needs for excellent short and long term benefits. Sophyto is made from high percentages of natural substances and processed in a way that unites dermatological efficacy and unique product performance in preventative skincare.
SOPHYTO's formulas contain literally hundreds and hundreds of naturally occurring bioactives from complete, whole food nutrients. Whole foods contain an interwoven "complex" of naturally balanced nutrients and helper-nutrients which act in complete harmony with our body and offer therapeutic properties that are key in any anti-aging, regenerative and protective skincare program.
- nutrients derived form whole foods are best as they mimic the natural occurrence of vitamins in food
- using specific methods of working with complete nutrients from whole foods and botanicals provides multiple biological effects that have scientifically been proven to be more potent than just one element, based upon the fact that nutrients can and do influence each other
- the combined presence of these high percentages of bioactive ingredients are successful in delivering optimal efficacy within a topically applied formula and are particularly key in addressing anti aging issues
- ingredients of this nature are referred to by Chinese and Western Integrative Doctors as 'energized' whereas processed nutrients and synthetic chemicals are described as 'de-energized'
The small percentage of safe synthetics Sophyto use are approved by the UK Soil Association. The UK organic standards organization who certify Sophyto's formulas permit their use in organic products (Section 50.3.16) as does the new EU organic standard COSMOS. (App V) Requirements for toxicity and biodegradeability (Section 50.5.8) states one must be able to demonstrate that each chemically processed ingredient meets all of the following requirements:
- aquatic toxicity – the EC50 and LC50 for algae, crustaceans and fish must be at least 1mg/kg
- aerobic bio-degradability – must be 'easily degradable', as defined in OECD document 301A-F
- anaerobic bio-degradability – must be 'easily degradable' as defined in ISO 11734
- bio-accumulation – the log Pow value must be no more than 3.
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