Two-winged fruit recently gained palm oil free certification for its soap & skin care products with Orangutan Alliance. To celebrate this exciting milestone we ran a competition with one of the conditions of entry being to share a positive action that you take in your life to be environmentally friendly. I was intrigued at the number of people who said "I never buy palm oil". My reaction? "I don't believe you." It's not that I don't believe that there are plenty of consumers who have the best intentions to not buy palm oil, knowing that the palm oil industry is causing rapid deforestation in places of huge biodiversity value. And I am really heartened to know that so many people care about this issue. THE TRUTH IS THOUGH, HAVING WORKED SO HARD TO BUILD A GENUINELY PALM OIL FREE BRAND, I HAVE DISCOVERED FOR MYSELF HOW MUCH OF A SUPER SLEUTH ONE NEEDS TO BE TO ENSURE THAT PALM OIL DOESN'T SNEAK INTO SKIN CARE PRODUCTS. I AM CERTAIN THAT MANY PEOPLE BUY PALM OIL WITHOUT EVEN REALISING IT. I am a scientist with a PhD. My training has taught me to never take things at face value. I learnt to do my homework on information sources to ensure their validity, and never to make a statement that isn't backed by sound evidence.
Here are some of the unfortunate truths I learnt while creating a palm oil free brand:
When I create a new product for Two-winged fruit, I look firstly for ingredients that could not possibly be palm oil or derivatives of palm oil. This is the safest option. However, palm oil is a bit like a chameleon, it can change into many different forms and it can easily hide. For example, many emulsifiers, preservatives and nearly all surfactants (whether they be synthetic, natural, organic, etc.) could be made from palm oil. These ingredients could be made from other vegetable oils such as coconut, olive or canola. But the fact is that palm oil is readily available and cheap, and so unless a manufacturer is motivated to avoid palm oil, and they can trace their raw materials right back to their source, it is highly likely that these ingredients are in fact made from palm oil.
Then there are other ingredients that are not themselves made from palm oil, but they are often sold as preparations that contain palm oil to make them easier to add them to skin care formulations. For example, many natural extracts from fruits and herbs are sold as mixtures that contain palm oil. Also, some natural or organic preservatives are mixed with palm oil derivatives.
On several occasions I have purchased an ingredient advertised as palm oil free, which I have later found out to be untrue. The supplier's website states that the material is palm oil free and so I initially proceed with my new product development assuming it is true. WHEN I COME TO FINALISING THE PRODUCT FORMULATION, I GO TO MY SUPPLIER AND ASK THEM FOR A WRITTEN STATEMENT TO CONFIRM THAT THEIR INGREDIENT IS PALM OIL FREE. THEY, IN TURN, GO BACK TO THEIR SOURCE FOR CONFIRMATION, ONLY TO FIND THAT THEY CANNOT OBTAIN THAT GUARANTEE. Sometimes what happens is that a previous batch was made without palm but subsequent ones were not. Sometimes the ingredient may never have been palm oil free. So, frustratingly, I have to go back to the drawing board with my new product formulation.
There are some products for which it is nearly impossible to buy palm oil free, though the situation is improving and Two-winged fruit and other brands, together with ingredient manufacturers and suppliers who are also vital components of the supply chain, are working to fill the gaps.
As you can see, I have spent a lot of time investigating my products for palm oil and its derivatives and there is a little more information in this article called How to Investigate for Palm Oil Like a Scientist if you are interested.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr Maretta Mann has a PhD in chemistry and a passion for environmental conservation, who has combined these passions to create a certified palm oil free soap & skin care brand, Two-winged fruit. Maretta lives on the Gold Coast (Australia) with her husband, two children, four chooks and two guinea pigs.