FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

From time to time we update our labels so the label of the product received may differ to the one advertised.

At Naissance we’ve always been completely against any form of animal testing and we can proudly say that every ingredient we use in any of our products is cruelty free. 

As a brand we have made a genuine commitment to ending animal testing for its products. This also means that every single one of our suppliers across the world are also conforming to the same strict criteria.

Many brands within the beauty industry claim to be against animal testing or describe themselves as ‘animal friendly’, yet 80 per cent of the world still allows for animals to be used for cosmetic testing.

Naissance believes that beauty and household products should be cruelty free. All of our own brand cosmetic and personal care products and household and cleaning products follow an internationally recognised gold standard for cruelty free products. 

We constantly strive to be as ethical and as sustainable as possible. If current practices can be improved, we’ll find a way to do it. We always aim to trade directly with growers and farmers where we can and support suppliers who promote community trade and provide benefits within the communities that they work with. We would never trade with unethical suppliers. We have always been against animal testing and our ingredients are 100% cruelty free.

A carrier oil is an oil extracted from seeds, nuts or fruits (rich in lipids) of a plant. They are used to dilute essential oils before applying them to the skin. An essential oil can be extracted from flowers, leaves or fruits of a plant and are highly concentrated. They are mainly used diluted in massage including soles of the feet, wrists and temples, or sprayed into the air. Read more about carrier oils HERE. Read more about essential oils HERE.

Essential oils are highly concentrated and must not be applied directly onto the skin. Always dilute them with a carrier/vegetable or base oil, a butter or a cream before use. Always do a patch test before applying it on your skin. To do that, apply a small quantity of product on the inside of your elbow, cover it and leave it on for 24 hours. In case of irritation, do not use the oil and seek medical advice.

All of our products are 100% natural. We don't add any synthetic ingredients to any of our products. Our organic oils are certified by the UK Soil Association. Each oil and raw material is supplied to us with a batch specific COA (Certificate of Analysis) which details the chemical composition, purity and characteristics of the product. If you wish to receive a COA related to a product please contact our customer service team at infoeu@naissance.com providing us with a batch number.

Natural oils have not been altered in any way but are not necessarily Organic. Our Organic Oils are certified by the UK Soil Association and our certificate is available to view on our website here. An Organic Certification is an assurance that the plant has been grown using no unauthorised chemicals and pesticides, and that every part of the process has been handled by persons or companies also regulated by the relevant awarding body. This means that the oil is traceable through every step of its journey all the way to you. The UK Soil Association is the most respected organisation in the UK for the certification of organic products. It is equivalent to the Ecocert, USDA Organic and comparable certification outside of the UK.

Our products can be extracted by cold pressing, steam distillation or solvent extraction. To make things easier for you, we have included the extraction method of our products on the products’ page so that you will be able to check all the details in the products’ description.

- Virgin/Unrefined Oil - Virgin oil is the descriptive term for the unaltered oil exactly as pressed from the seed, plant, leaf or fruit etc. Virgin oils are often darker than their refined counterparts as they can retain sediment and a slight odour from the pressing process, in some cases virgin oils are referred to as unrefined. 

- Refined Oil - In simple terms a refined oil has been de-odourised and any impurities have been removed leaving a clearer, lighter normally odourless oil. We do not refine our oils in house, but source high quality oils which are already refined. 

- Cold Pressed - cold pressed oils have been extracted through the cold pressing process where the seeds (or the peel) of the fruit are crushed and pressed to force the oil out.

Vegetable Oils and Fats have impurities such as moisture, solids (insolubles), gums (Lecithins), Free-Fatty Acids (FFA) and waxes. These impurities are removed to improve the functionality of the oils for cosmetic and food use. Other characteristics of oils (such as colour, odour, and taste) are also considered impurities by modern consumers for cosmetic manufacture. These impurities are removed in a series of steps such as degumming (to remove gums), neutralizing (to remove FFA), bleaching (to remove colour), deodorising (to remove odour and taste), and dewaxing or winterization (to remove waxes).

Many carrier/vegetable oils have little to no noticeable odour as the extracted oil is not an essential oil, this will largely depend upon which part of the plant the oil has been extracted from. Some of our oils has been refined and they rarely have any smell at all as any fragrant particles are removed during the refining process (see question above). We also offer Virgin/ /Unrefined varieties of some oils (where stated) which retain the original characteristic of the plant and, therefore, can have some odour.

As all of our oils are natural products, the colour of the oil can vary from batch to batch. There are many factors which will cause a change in colour such as differences in the soil and climate. It is also not unusual for small particles of naturally occurring sediment to be visible in the oil. If you are not sure about the quality of the product you have received, please contact our Customer Service Team and they will investigate further.

Shea Butter is very rich in fatty acids and a change in temperature can cause the butter to modify its texture. Shea Butter has a low melting point (similar to room temperature if you are lucky enough to live in a warm country) and when it hits a certain temperature, some of the fats melt and then slowly solidify. The higher temperature fats results in little grains through the butter, hence the grainy texture. When our Shea Butter gets shipped to you, before getting delivered, it can be stored in containers where the temperature is higher that the butter’s melting point.This process is called crystallisation and it can affect different vegetable butters, especially Shea Butter. Crystallisation occurs when the butter melts and then cools back down too slowly.

You can still use the Shea direct from the pot - the butter will melt on skin contact.

Or if you'd prefer to feel your Shea Butter smoother and silkier on your skin, follow these super simple steps:

- Heat the Shea Butter in a bain-marie until completely liquid and clear.

- Put the pot in the fridge or the freezer (we suggest a freezer for a much more rapid cool down). 

- Once the Shea is solid again, you will find a soft butter ready for you to use.  

Some of our oils are obtained through solvent extraction rather than cold pressing or steam distillation. Hexane is the most common solvent material used for this method and we make sure that no residue is left in the oil. Whenever an oil is solvent extracted, this will be mentioned in the product description.

Depending on how you want to use them, it is important that you remember to dilute them before applying them on your skin. They can be diluted in a carrier oil, creams or butters to use in massage or skincare (please refer to the next question to find out more about dilution percentages). 

Other uses include

- In diffusion: put 3 or 4 drops of essential oil in your diffuser or an oil burner. Depending on the size of the room you may need to add or decrease the number of drops.

- Steam inhalation: Add 3 or 4 drops of essential oil to a bowl of boiling water on a table. Place a towel over your head and lean over the bowl and inhale for a few minutes.

When creating your own cream or massage oil, it’s important you use the right dilution. Each oil has different properties and different applications require different concentrations of oil, as such there is no definite dilution rate that works across the range. We usually suggest diluting 1% of essential oil in 100ml of carrier/vegetable oil but please check individual product description for a more specific dilution recommendation. Make sure you always do a patch test before applying the product on your skin.

All our products are prepared in our food room and we have recently been awarded the highest rating (5) in food hygiene by the UK Government Food Standards Agency to ensure the highest quality products. Despite now classifying our products as ‘cosmetic’ grade, our products are of the same excellent quality, and our suppliers remain unchanged.

Extended contact with air will decrease the life of your oil significantly, therefore you should ensure that the lid is firmly attached to minimise oxidisation. The oil should be stored in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight.

Our essential oils are not in plastic bottles as many of them would melt through the plastic due to them being highly concentrated. Our carrier/vegetable oils that come in larger sizes are in plastic but we also do pack some of our 50ml carrier oil in glass bottles. We have chosen plastic bottles as it is less likely to break during transit, we have taken great care to source suitable bottles, our bottles are PETE plastic bottles with skirt sealed lids to help prevent oxidisation of the oil. PETE is a food grade plastic and is widely accepted to have little to no risk of chemical transfer to the liquid being contained within.

Each of the oils has its own specific gravity, this is, in simple terms its weight compared to water. 1 litre of water will always weigh 1kg however oils are slightly lighter, specific gravity can vary but most of our oils have a SG of between 0.78 and 0.9, this means that most of our 1 litre products will weigh between 780g and 900g.

Essential oil are natural products and for this reason they do have an expiry date. Usually, essential oils may last up until 2 years and vegetable oils up to 12 months. However, these are only indications as there are several factors that can change the overall shelf life of an essential oil or vegetable (carrier) oil. For example, oxygen, light or simply how they are stored in your house. As part of an initiative to market our products as ‘cosmetic’ grade, we are no longer required to include a BBE date on our product labels. This is in keeping with cosmetic grade (products) industry standards. You will see the PAO (Period After Opening Jar Symbol) on the label. Despite now classifying our products as ‘cosmetic’ grade, our products are of the same excellent quality, and our suppliers remain unchanged..

Our range of powders, salts & waxes are packaged in new kraft style ‘Bio Bags’ to ensure that our products reach you in the same perfect condition they leave us. These new ‘Bio-bag’ kraft pouches are biodegradable and a small step in an eco-friendlier direction while we continue to look for the next better solution. The plastic (PE) part of the Bio Bags (that protects the products from moisture) contains a special additive that helps to break it down lessening the impact on the environment.Our bottles and tubs are not currently bio-degradable but our PETE plastic bottles and glass bottles can be recycled with your household recycling. Please contact your local authority for further advice on services available.

The country of origin may vary according to the product as some of them can be found only in specific countries with characteristics that promote the growth of a particular raw material. If you wish to know more information about the oil that you have purchased or want to purchase, you can do so by looking at the product’s description page. If you can’t find any information on it, our Customer Service Team will be happy to help.

We regularly upload the MSDS for our products on our website. You can find them on the product pages under the TECHNICAL tab.. If you can’t find it, no need to panic! Contact our customer service team at infouk@naissance.com and they’ll be happy to send you all the relevant documentation that you need (MSDS, COA, DOA, IFRA).

We ship to different countries all over the world so, check our Shipping Information page to have more information about costs and delivery times.

If you haven’t received your order, please contact our Customer Service Team by email at infoeu@naissance.com

Please contact our Customer Service Team by email at infoeu@naissance.com and we will be happy to solve this issue for you.

We’re sorry, we are not liable for any charges or fees incurred for international transactions when paying for your order. Orders will be dispatched when payment is received in full.

For any wholesale enquiries please visit www.neatwholesale.co.uk

We do not offer tax free shopping from any of the Naissance retail websites.