Ingredient Pledge™

FREE FROM PRESERVATIVES, SURFACTANTS & STABILIZERS

Non-solid Persica Skincare products contain instructions to “lightly shake bottle to redistribute” because we do not use any artificial preservatives or stabilizers, such as BHA or BHT. Our products are anhydrous, meaning they do not contain water (with the exception of the Queen Esther Purifying Florals Hydrosol Toner, which uses rose and orange blossom waters, and contains apple cider vinegar as a natural preservative). We pledge never to use surfactants, texturizers or artificial ingredients designed to affect how a product feels or lathers, rather than what it does. There is no need to deceive with texturizers to make products feel luxurious, because Mother Nature achieves this with perfection.

NO ARTIFICIAL FRAGRANCE

Consumers expect that “fragrances” solely contain delightful florals, woodsy essences, and earthy undertones, but this is not the case. The term “fragrance” is afforded business proprietary protection. In the name of trade secrets, companies are not required to divulge what specifically is in their “fragrance,” allowing them to hide unsavory ingredients, such as formaldehyde-derivatives. Persica Skincare pledges to never use artificial fragrance, and pledges that our products only will contain natural fragrances from the aromas of the botanical ingredients and saffron that we use.

TRADITIONAL INDUSTRY FRIENDLY

Persica Skincare pledges to source from and support traditional industries wherever possible. This is one of the reasons why we source our saffron from Afghanistan and countries along the historic Silk Road, which supports the continued employment of largely female workforces that produce some of the highest grades of saffron available globally.

"ALL ARE WELCOME" INCLUSIVITY

Persica Skincare pledges to create products suitable for all skin types, and to have product testers that reflect diverse backgrounds. We embrace diversity in all forms, and pledge that this commitment will be a key driver of our corporate culture.

FREE FROM CARCINOGENS

Persica Skincare pledges that none of our products or ingredients will contain known or suspected carcinogens.

100% PLANT-BASED BOTANICALS

We pledge to use plant- and naturally-derived ingredients and to create 100% botanical products.

HANDS-ON COMMUNITY SERVICE

Some skincare brands donate a (typically small) percentage of sales to worthy causes. We prefer to be more direct and engaged with our community. We pledge to spend at least 20 hours per month on community service initiatives. We pledge to showcase the non-profits and organizations that we support on our website. We pledge that every Persica Skincare employee will be afforded three days of paid time off solely to engage in community service. We further pledge never to overstate our activities or our role in contributing to the greater good.

SLOW BEAUTY

We craft our products with the deliberate care of an artisan. Slow Beauty means that we have carefully selected a limited range of ingredients, patiently developed our products, and believe in a skincare ethos that is holistic, healthful, and microbiome-safe. We do not agree that you need cabinets and drawers full of an ever-expanding array of “fast fashion” skincare. A few simple things, crafted with care and richly saturated with nature’s botanicals, is all you need.

HYPOALLERGENIC

Persica Skincare products are hypoallergenic. This means that our ingredients and final products are unlikely to cause an allergic reaction. For those who suffer from nut allergies, kindly note that we do use certain nut-derived oils and butters, such as avocado oil, sweet almond oil, argan oil and shea butter. For these consumers, we advise you to consult with your healthcare provider or dermatologist before trying our products. None of our products are cross-contaminated with peanuts.

SUSTAINABLE

At Persica Skincare, we draw a distinction between sustainable ingredients and products on one hand, and sustainable certifications on the other (see our FAQ for more on why we draw this distinction). When we say our products are “sustainable,” we mean that sourcing our ingredients does not stress, increase toxicity of, or disrupt flora and fauna systems, and that none of our products or ingredients will involve the use of non-renewable resources.

SAFFRON-HONORING

Persica Skincare pledges to recognize, source, and treat saffron with the utmost respect that this precious spice deserves. Our expertise in saffron skincare ensures that we use the highest grades of saffron available in the world, use only the most potent parts of the saffron stigma (“sargol” or “super negin”), and vet our saffron to confirm that it is free of adulteration or mislabeling. We will not entice consumers with full-length saffron stigmas tossed into clear bottles when we know that doing so fails to honor the most potent components of the stigma, fails to extract the maximum bioactive benefits, and expedites depletion of botanical oils by increasing their light exposure. Persica Skincare pledges to honor the value and history of saffron by using our proprietary double-blended method to transform our saffron into an extremely fine powder, enhancing penetration and absorption of this holy, magical, and sublime spice.

MICROBIOME COMPATIBLE

We pledge to never create products or use ingredients that can harm, disrupt, or compromise the skin’s natural microbiome. The microbiome evolved with nature, and we pledge to honor that relationship, not disrupt it.

SMALL-BATCH MADE

Persica Skincare pledges that our products will be small-batch made. In ancient Persia and the Silk Road, products were not mass-produced by machines; skincare treatments were thoughtfully crafted by hand. By keeping our production limited to small batches, we keep an exacting eye on the production process, and deliver artisanal-quality crafted products that replicate traditions of a time when we lived in closer harmony with Mother Nature.

HONESTY FIRST

We pledge to be open and honest about changes in our ingredients or formulations. Our honesty about the initial mistake involving the use of beeswax is one such example. If we find that we need to move away from an ingredient or supplier, we will be honest and upfront about that. Persica Skincare pledges that we always will honestly answer questions regarding a consumer’s skincare needs, our products, and why we use the ingredients that we choose.

CLEAN BEAUTY

As a concept, clean beauty encompasses several commitments. For Persica Skincare, it means that our products are safe (made without ingredients shown or suspected to harm human health), nontoxic, health-conscious, employ transparent labels, avoid artificial chemicals and synthetics, and support a natural approach to skincare that is microbiome-compatible.

NO PETROCHEMICALS, PEGS OR MINERAL OILS

Mineral oil is also known as petroleum oil; it is a derivative of the petrochemical industry, and involves petroleum, a non-renewable resource. Similarly, PEGs (polyethylene glycols) are petroleum-derived compounds widely used in skincare products as thickeners, solvents and softeners. We pledge never to use mineral oil, PEGs, or any other petroleum or petrochemical derivative in Persica Skincare products.

NO SALES WHERE ANIMAL TESTING IS MANDATORY

Persica Skincare pledges never to sell our products in markets where: (1) pre-market animal testing is mandatory; or (2) our products may be subjected to post-market animal testing, such as by removing them from store shelves (see our FAQ for more on this).

FREE FROM PARABENS, PHTHALATES, SLS AND SLES

We pledge never to use ingredients or create products that contain parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), or sodium laureth sulfate (also known as sodium lauryl ether sulfate) (SLES).

CARBON OFFSET TREE INITIATIVE

A mature tree absorbs carbon dioxide at a rate of 48 pounds per year. In one year, an acre of forest can absorb twice the carbon dioxide produced by a typical vehicle’s annual mileage. Persica Skincare pledges to plant a tree for every 100 sales.

FREE OF SYNTHETICS

Persica Skincare pledges to never use artificial chemicals, synthetics or other lab-created ingredients, such as petroleum-derived propylene glycol (a humectant in skincare products shouldn’t also be airplane de-icing fluid). We do not believe that these types of ingredients nurture the skin’s natural microbiome.

MINIMIZING PLASTIC USAGE

Persica Skincare is proud to offer our products in reusable glass bottles, with our signature blue velvet reusable bags. Our product packaging is recyclable. Our shipping packages are 100% compostable. We pledge that at least 95% of our product and shipping packaging will be reusable, recyclable, or compostable. We pledge to minimize the use of plastic in our products. For this reason, our lip balms are not offered in upright plastic tubes, but rather, in reusable metal tins.

INFLUENCER FREE

There are shortcuts for skincare brands, including gifting Influencers with products and asking them for positive reviews. We pledge never to give freebies to, pay, or work with Influencers because we believe in earning our reputation. The people who receive Persica Skincare gifts and freebies through social media are regular people, just like us. If your business is selling business, we prefer to develop a loyal following on the merits of the products we make.

VEGAN & 100% ANIMAL DERIVATIVE FREE

We pledge to use only botanically-sourced ingredients and to never use ingredients or create products that contain animal derivatives. For this reason, we do not make products using tallow, although tallow was an ingredient used in ancient Silk Road skincare traditions. We also are proudly beeswax-free.

100% CRUELTY FREE

The truth of animal testing is utterly jarring. Rabbits will break their backs trying to avoid having cosmetics put into their eyes. Persica Skincare will never use any ingredient or make any product that involves animal testing, or that may stress or harm animals in any way. Moreover, at Persica Skincare, “cruelty free” means both pre- and post-sales. Our final products are safe for household pets and domesticated animals to be around – in fact, one Persica Skincare team member has a dog who will not stop trying to lick her Persica oils off!

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY

We pledge to source ingredients locally where possible and make decisions that strive to minimize transportation distances in our supply chain. We pledge to use ingredients that can be harvested from Mother Nature without causing negative impacts on other flora and fauna. We will not use any ingredient that is habitat-essential or the primary food source of any animal. None of our production processes will result in byproducts or derivatives that are harmful to Mother Nature.

SCIENCE-BACKED

We pledge that our product formulations always will be informed by scientific research. This means that for every ingredient we use, we have undertaken diligent research into the science of that ingredient and how it impacts the skin.

ORGANIC

Under U.S. Department of Agriculture Organic Labeling Standards, “‘organic’ can be used to label any product that contains a minimum of 95 percent organic ingredients (excluding salt and water).” All Persica Skincare products meet this requirement. We pledge to identify every organic ingredient in our products with an asterisk (*). We believe that consumers should be able to see which ingredients specifically are organic. We pledge to use organic ingredients wherever reasonably possible.

NON-GMO

We always will use non-GMO ingredients. This commitment includes both our ingredients (the ones you see on the label) and how those ingredients are developed. For example, our organic vitamin E oil always will be derived from vegetable fats of non-GMO plants.

CONSCIOUSLY & RESPONSIBLY SOURCED

Being consciously and responsibly sourced means that Persica Skincare procures ingredients and undertakes business operations in an ethical, sustainable and socially conscious way that leaves no negative impact on people or the environment. For example, when it came to sourcing for African shea butter, we spent nearly one month identifying and interviewing various suppliers to determine whether their African shea butter was sourced in a way that uplifted the communities – often women’s cooperatives – making the shea butter.

SUPPORTING WOMEN’S COOPERATIVES

Persica Skincare pledges to support uplifting women’s cooperatives that produce our ingredients. This includes making sure that women’s cooperatives are paid wages higher than the wage rate set by their government, and that they are responsible for the production process from harvesting to the finished ingredient. This is particularly true for how we procure our African shea butter, where we ensure the women’s cooperatives involved harvest the nuts and are not forced to hand them off to larger, industrial production facilities, which devalues the contribution of these women and cuts them out of a significant component of the value-added chain.

SCIENCE-LED, NOT MARKETING-LED

Most consumers expect that in skincare companies, Research & Development (R&D) takes a front seat, and that Marketing/Advertising decisions follow from R&D determinations. Sadly, this is not true. In most skincare companies, R&D – the science itself – takes a backseat to marketing. If a marketing department believes an ingredient will be a huge commercial success, most companies prioritize this, regardless of the actual skincare benefits of the ingredient. Persica Skincare pledges always to be driven by science, and never by marketing.

ETHICALLY TRANSPARENT

Persica Skincare pledges that we will be ethically transparent in our activities and processes. We pledge that transparency will be a core component of our corporate culture at Persica Skincare. We pledge to be accurate in our descriptions, timely in our communications, and accountable for our corporate decisions and actions.

PALM OIL-FREE

Palm oil is common in skincare, although responsible companies increasingly are shifting away from it. It is not always easy to discern the presence of palm oil in a skincare label. For example, both glycerin and vitamin E can be made with palm oil. Our research has found that palm-oil sustainable certifications are incompatible with our commitment to Mother Nature (see our FAQ for more on this). Persica Skincare pledges never to use palm oil in any products, and never to use ingredients that are made with palm oil.

BEESWAX-FREE

In late 2020, Persica Skincare came across a moving and persuasive article titled, “To Bee or Not to Bee,” by environmental and animal justice activist Dylan Kendall (IG: @dylan_kendall). It became clear to Persica Skincare that using beeswax in our products was problematic and a violation of our commitment to honor Mother Nature. During the winter of 2020, we reformulated, tested, and ultimately created new balm and salve formulas that were free of beeswax. Persica Skincare pledges never to use beeswax in our products.

FREE FROM ENDOCRINE & HORMONE DISRUPTORS

Many skincare ingredients were safety-assessed based on direct contact, and before hormones or the microbiome became better understood. Despite what consumers typically expect, many chemicals in consumer skincare products have not been tested. Persica Skincare pledges to only use ingredients and create products that will not harm the endocrine system, reproductive system, microbiome, or the body’s hormonal balance.

WOMEN & MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESS

Persica Skincare was founded by a woman who fled war as an infant. She became a proud American immigrant, and is equally proud of her ethnic heritage and the diversity of her homeland. We pledge to support others who flee war, ethnic minorities, the displaced, and celebrate the strength of womanhood.

NONTOXIC

Nontoxic means that a substance is generally safe to eat or breathe, and does not harm the environment. What goes on your skin should be safe enough to place into your mouth – and our products are. We pledge only to use ingredients and create products that are nontoxic. We further pledge that none of our ingredients will be produced through means that involve toxic substances or residues.