Home > Info and Fun > Organic Q & A

Have a question? Send it to stephanie @ bubbleandbee.com (omit spaces).

Sample questions:
What's this ingredient?
What's the difference between your product and another?
Where can I find information about an ingredient?
Is this ingredient safe?

Q. What's the difference between your deodorant and the crystal? -- Jenny, via e-mail

A. The biggest difference with our deodorants is that they are 100% Organic, meaning that every ingredient is derived from living matter (vegetable oils, beeswax, etc) and has not been treated or in contact with any synthetic chemicals in its production or processing.  We use naturally antibacterial organic essential oils to help prevent bacterial growth in the underarm.  (To read more about how the body works and how you can deodorize naturally, read my article here.)  We never use synthetic fragrances, preservatives, or fillers in our deodorants, and never use toxic chemicals in our facility.  Soon our facility will be certified organic.

The thing that concerns me about the crystal deodorants, is that usually their ingredients are labeled as "mineral salts" or "natural mineral salts," and we don't know exactly which salts are used.  It's possible that they contain aluminum salts, the safety of which is currently being investigated for its link to Alzheimer's disease--and are probably the reason you switched to a natural deodorant in the first place!  

From what I can tell, however, the salts used in these crystal sticks are Alums, (typically Potassium Alum and Ammonium Alum) and are not linked to that disease.  At the low dose you use on your skin those salts are typically not problematic.  However--ingesting more than an ounce of Alum, would be toxic to the human body.  The FDA considers alum to be generally regarded as safe, and it's used in low doses in canned products (like pickles) to keep vegetables crisp.  There is a movement in the canning industry right now to slowly phase out the use of alum because of its concerns as a toxin.

Q. What's sorbitol? Is the sorbitol that you use in your soap natural and harmless?
--Alfred, GA

A. Yes, the sorbitol contained in the soaps is a naturally-ocurring sugar alcohol.  It's commonly used as a low-calorie sweetener, but it also has great properties on skin.  It's a great humectant (moisture-drawing) and emolient (skin-smoother and soother).  There's just a little bit added to the soaps to make them as mild and gentle as possible on skin. I would put it in the same scale of "natural-ness" as glycerin.   

Q. What's a lotion bar? --Melanie, via e-mail

A. A lotion bar is a lotion without water. We choose to make our lotion bars and sticks instead of lotion in a bottle. Why? Because it allows us to have a formula with no emulsifiers or preservatives. Consequently, we're able to have a 100% Organic formula. AND it's more healing, doesn't evaporate, doesn't sting and doesn't wash off every time you wash your hands.

Q. Why do you use organic beeswax? What's the difference? --Bob, IL

A. Organic beeswax is twice as dark in color as conventional beeswax. It has more nutrients because the bees have a wider variety of crops to pollinate and no pesticide, herbicide, or chemical residues. The hives are required to have a four mile radius of organic crops around them. On skin, beeswax is a great emollient, moisturizer, and helps seal in moisture.