Hello,and happy new year!Each new year brings new excitement,doesn't it?:) I've been working with my blog header and stuffs recently.Not quite sure if it doesn't look that mess,lol!:D yeah,will change it later. Just want to bring new stuff on this blog.I've seen many green beauty bloggers with lovely blogs AND in green blog background too.Ok,that should be.But I love pink,what I can do then?:D So,my new blog header is very me;)...Anyway,I have a lot of wishlists for this year.Hope all of them will come true.Amin.Whatever my wishlists are,one thing that I should do which is turning my vanity table into greener cosmetics one.And one of products that I bought was this:Humphrey's witch hazel alcohol free  facial toner in lilac.

Humphrey's products are mostly witch hazel based,but most of them are facial toners. I use facial toner only as a cleansing water in the morning since I don't have make up to be erased in the morning(we've just waken up,no make up sure!). There're others witch hazel toner producers in US,such:T.N dickinson,Thayers..well,those that I notice. I chose this humphrey's since thayers uses unfrenly ingredients on some of their products,and T.N dickinson,..i may check theirs after this:). So,let's jump to this humphrey's review:

This came in quite big bottle(237ml),will last for couple of months,I guess.clear PET bottle packaging.It's sealed with aluminium foil(?)as well.

Inci:

filtered water, aloe barbadensis leaf juice*, hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel) water, vegetable glycerin, sodium pca, hyaluronic acid, panthenol (pro-vitamin b5), allantoin, extracts of [arnica montana* (arnica), calendula officinalis* (calendula), camellia sinensis* (white tea), aspalathus linearis (red tea), camellia sinensis (black tea), camellia sinensis (green tea), cucumis sativus (cucumber), carica papaya (papaya), ananas sativus (pineapple), hedychium coronarium (awaphui), althaea officinalis (marshmallow) root, dianthus superbus (lilac pink herb), curcuma longa (tumeric)], polysorbate 20, hydrogenated castor oil, phenoxyethanol (rose essence), ethyl hexyl glycerin, fragrance

*certified organic

Not tested on animals.Contains no animal ingredients.

Who should use this product?

For all skin types. Especially for people with rough, dry or sensitive skin.

Directions for use:

After normal cleansing, dampen a cotton pad or splash in your hands and gently wipe skin. Follow with your favorite moisturizer.

This one has no strong scent,only the smell of fresh water with a hint of flower scent.I heard that some people experiencing a broke out to witch hazel,but I have no problem of this toner.It's just like water for me,but left a smooth feeling after using it.No break out,nothing.I don't have any major complaint about this product,so i'll rate this as 4.5 points. Why not 5?I'd like to choose newer version of this which is organic and phenoxyethanol free.

Anyway,there is an interesting fact about this humphrey's,a US based company which made me choosing their product,which is stated on their FAQ page,read here.It's this line:

Q. Do you use any harsh preservatives such as parabens in your products?

A. No, we are sensitive about the ingredients we use. All of our skincare products are EU compliant and are 100% vegetarian. They contain certified organic ingredients, no artificial colors, fragrances or harsh preservatives, such as parabens.

There're also other US based companies which use EU regulation as their standart,like this one also:silk natural(see here).It's on their welcome page"..Shipping is reasonable - and we are happy to ship our products anywhere in the world. Our makeup complies with all of the EU requirements for cosmetics."

They're US based,wondering why they use EU cosmetic standart?

If you learn more about this kind of toxic free cosmetics,you'll find out that many of US consumers questioned about US safety cosmetic standard.You can easily find on webs out there.But this one is the best source:

The story of cosmetics by Annie Leonard.They have a cartoon movie here about where our cosmetics from,but if you're lazy to dowload the movie,you can download the pdf one on this link. I think both movie and pdf are interesting. 

Annie leonard is the founder of the non profit project"story of stuff" to respond to tens of thousands of viewer requests for more information and ways to get involved.You can see other story of stuffs there,such:Story of electronic,story of bottled water,story of cap & trade,etc.On the story of cosmetic part,she wrote that USFDA cannot require companies to ensure cosmetics ingredients have been assessed for safety,can't require full product labeling and can't even require product recalls.That's why she and her group along with other safe cosmetics activists in US(stacy malkan from notjustaprettyface.org-I mentioned her earlier here about her succcess to"push"Johnson's & Johnson to remove 1.4-dioxine from baby products in US),and other activists made this organization www.safecosmetics.org. What is the aim of this organization?To make US Congress to have a legislation that will shift the beauty industry away from hazardous chemicals.Now they have a campaign for safe cosmetic.Why such a fuss about it?Because in US,the current law-The Food,Drug,and Cosmetics Act of 1938-allows cosmetics industry to make its own decision about what's safe,with very little government oversight.The USFDA does not have to approve or review the cosmetics, or what goes in them before they are sold to the consumers. The USFDA only regulates against the colors that can be used in the cosmetics and hair dyes. The cosmetic companies do not have to report any injuries from the products; they also only have voluntary recalls on products.(see this wikipedia:cosmetics-history). Oh well,it's there on USFDA web here as well. Check it out..

Q:Are those for real?

There was this case"lead in lipstics"which I hoped to be a hoax(well,I used their products back then),but apparently it was true.In October 2007, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics tested 33 popular brands of lipsticks at an independent lab for lead content. The results: 61 percent of lipsticks contained lead, with levels ranging up to 0.65 parts per million. Lead-contaminated brands included L, CG and even a $24 tube of DA(better check this link for complete list). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration promised it would conduct an investigation, but dragged its feet in doing so. It took nearly two years, pressure from consumers and a letter from three U.S. Senators.So in 2009 the USFDA released a follow-up study that found lead in all samples of lipstick it tested, at levels ranging from 0.09 to 3.06 ppm – levels four times higher than the levels found in the Campaign study. USFDA found the highest lead levels in lipsticks made by three manufacturers: P& G(CG brand), L(L, BS and M brands) and R. Yet USFDA has thus far failed to take action to protect consumers.(click this).

Ok,as a non US citizen,i'm convinced enough to see what USFDA has done to protect US consumers.And that's why some US based companies use EU as cosmetic standart instead.Why?EU has banned over than 1200 ingredients to be used as cosmetic products ingredients in EU region while USFDA only banned 9(or 8?see USFDA web).This is also the answer why Johnson's and johnson products that are marketed in EU region doesn't contain formaldehyde while J&J products in US contain formaldehyde. Weird thing since The US Department of Health and Human Services has declared formaldehyde as carcinogen,then why USFDA hasn't banned it?Is it because of what they say on their official web here"With the important exception of color additives that are not coal-tar hair dyes, cosmetic ingredients are not subject to FDA premarket approval authority"?.   Right,I may not give it any damn care about USFDA stuffs since i'm a non US citizen.IF only US cosmetic products aren't marketed here.IF only there're no US company and its sub here.IF only I've never used nor worn any.IF only...

Let's leave the question to them along with those lead in lipstick case..I my self,if there're a LOT of safe products available out there then why I should choose something that are possibly harm me in the future?Sure those unsafe cosmetic companies will against those who use safer ingredients and say that it's a marketing gimmick.In the end both of them will use their own marketing gimmick to market their product,so why should I stand for those with unfriendly ingredients one then?. .

Back to that humphrey's,what I bought here is alcohol free since the toner that suited to my dry skin is in alcohol free.There're alot of type of alcohol that are used in cosmetics.There're alcohol that can dry the skin and those that don't dry the skin. But this time what I want to talk about is what kind of alcohol that are considered as halal.I know that some of halal cosmetics use alcohol in their product which can lead a question to their customers.So here are what some of explanations from muslims consumer group.Before that for those who aren't moslems,here is a brief about it:

If you're a moslem,it's forbidden to drink liquor.Haram means it's forbiden to do(here in food,it means forbidden to eat).Some religions forbid, discourage, or restrict the drinking of alcoholic beverages for various reasons. These include Islam, Jainism, the Bahá'í Faith, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Church of Christ, Scientist, the United Pentecostal Church International, Theravada, most Mahayana schools of Buddhism, some Protestant denominations of Christianity, some sects of Taoism (Five Precepts (Taoism) and Ten Precepts (Taoism)), and some sects of Hinduism.However,some people confused between liquor and alcohol.They thought liquor and alcohol are the same.Liquor contains alcohol.Alcohol doesn't mean liquor.There're other types of alcohol and not all of them come from fermentation process.Alcohol even exists naturally on some fruits,and also in bread making process(which fruits and bread are allowed to be consumed).So here are the list of alcohol types that are allowed to be used in cosmetics according to some moslems consumer groups:

Ethyl Alcohol - Haram
The ethyl alcohol is made by fermenting grapes, corn and sources of sugar with yeast. Ethyl alcohol is also synthtically made from ethylene gas. Only ethyl alcohol has the intoxication quality.Other names given to synthetic Ethyl Alcohol are, Ethanol, Methylated Spirits (contains 5 percent Methyl Alcohol and 95 percent Ethyl Alcohol). Products containing these ingredients therefore will also be prohibited.

Alcohol/Grain Alcohol-Haram

Cetyl Alcohol - Halal

Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Myristyl Alcohol and Behenyl Alcohol are white, waxy solids, not related to ethyl alcohol. Cetyl Alcohol and Stearyl Alcohol are two major components of Cetearyl Alcohol. They are made from either animal or vegetable fat.Fatty waxy alcohol are not actual ethyl alcohol and they are only used in personal care products.They are halal if derived from vegetable fat.

Phenoxyethanol - not ethyl based therefore Halal

Denatured Alcohol - Halal
Denatured alcohol is denatured by adding methonal and acetone to react with ethyl alcohol to attach the some part of acetone and methane to molecule of ethyl alcohol, so nature of ethyl alcohol is changed.

Specially Denatured (SD) Alcohol-Halal

Specially Denatured Alcohol is used as an ingredient only in personal care products. A specific property of ethanol, its usefulness as a beverage, is removed". The ethanol molecule is not denatured in the sense that its chemical structure is altered. SD alcohol is made from real ethyl alcohol from any source by adding poison chemicals such as acetone, methonal to destroy the intoxication quality of ethyl alcohol. It is consider as Halal because it does not have intoxication quality. This is used only in personal care products.

Benzyl Alcohol-Halal
Benzyl alcohol is produced naturally by many plants and is commonly found in fruits and teas. It is also found in a variety of essential oils including jasmine, hyacinth, and ylang-ylang.Benzyl alcohol is prepared by the hydrolysis of benzyl chloride using sodium hydroxide.Benzyl alcohol is a Halal alcohol, it does not cause intoxication.

Butyl Alcohol-Halal
Butyl alcohol is another non intoxicant fatty wax alcohol. They are not made from fermentation process, they are made from either animal or vegetable fat. Animal/vegetable fat do not have ethyl alcohol and can not be use for making ethyl alcohol. They are halal if derived from vegetable fat.

sources:
http://www.ummahnews.co.uk/article.php?id=86

http://canadianhalalfoods.com/news.html
http://www.albalagh.net/letters/synthetic_alcohols.shtml
http://www.muslimconsumergroup.com/cosmetic.html
http://www.ifanca.org/newsletter/2009_01.htm
http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?43766-Types-of-Alcohol-used-in-everyday-products

Eek,there're so many type of alcohols out there!I know that some of readers who read the list may disagree,so here I suggest you to contact the expert on those webs.They're experts in their fields scientifically,and have strong basic religious knowledge about it as well.I know that there're different opinions in Islam,depend on what scholar that you follow.I have my opinion,and you're pleased to follow yours.Here,what I write is to spread information about it as some people,including me may confuse about it sometime.In the end,i hope that info will help:)

Such a long story of cosmetics above,isn't it?It's interesting to know that our cosmetics aren't just about"a tiny cute bottle with unknown ingredients without any impact to our body".Just because we don't know what's in it,doesn't mean it isn't there.If in the end I'll make a profit for companies whom I buy their products,i'll deffy give my purchasing to those with ingredients which are benefit me as well. I appreciate my self by being selective of choosing what cosmetics that will be used on my skin. If I don't select it well,it'll make my self none other than a trash can of products(everything goes in without filter),and worse,a guinea pig of toxic chemicals.
Hope you're not bored of my post.Have a lovely weekend!:) Oh,and please feel free to share some of joy you have today through link below for those who are in needs: