You've read the Elixir Story, now for a peek into what makes Elixir tick and the principles we strongly believe in and stand by. Included below are just some of the challenges we face and how we overcome them to bring you safe, natural, quality products you can trust.
WE BELIEVE IN PASSION
This means that when something feels right, whether it's a new direction or a new product, we don't take no for an answer, we don't have a file marked "can't be done".
We wanted to print on Abaca paper, this paper comes from Japan, from the Abaca plant, a sustainable source which produces a silky, soft and surprisingly strong fibrous tissue paper. Our printer now hates us but found a way to do it.
One of the essential oils we use in one of our products costs over a $1000.00 USD for a litre, we don't use a lot but we were not prepared to compromise on the final product we use it in. If you can guess which product it is, tell us in the forum.
To us, passion for what we do is interpreted as being determined to get it right, whatever the cost. We don't have a thousand products in our range yet but every single product we add to our collection is rigourously thought out, re-thought and second guessed by our formulations team until they're happy to use it on their children. This takes time and the record at the moment for a single product stands at fourteen months.
WE BELIEVE IN NOT COMPROMISING
So in a nutshell, we absolutely refuse to allow parabens, pheno-oxyethanol, SLS, SLES, or Titanium Dioxide ingredients past the gate. This is just a small list of ingredients we avoid. Elixir is 98.5% natural so where a natural alternative is currently unavailable and we have to use a synthetic version, this is clearly stated in our listing of ingredients.
WE BELIEVE IN GREEN
Elixir's stand on all things natural doesn't stop with our creations. We care about the environment too. As far as possible, primary and secondary packaging is either biodegradable or recyclable and comes from sustainable sources.
The clear acetate we use is 100% biodegradable cellulose acetate and is the first of its kind to be utilized in the UK. It's manufactured from wood pulp and cotton linters (100% Petroleum Free), certified as 100% biodegradable in the US and Europe, recyclable with both paper and plastic and when incinerated, the acetate produces CO2, water and non-toxic ash.
The Palm Oil we use in so many of our products is only ever obtained from sustainable sources, so you can be sure that Elixir is not destroying the natural habitat of the Orang Utans who depend on the Palm Tree for their survival. Our supplier has no contracts with plantations in Borneo or Sumatra for the supply of Palm Oil.
WE BELIEVE IN CRUELTY FREE
It is an inescapable fact of history, that many chemicals (ingredients) including essential oils, used in cosmetics today, including skincare and body care were tested on animals years ago. We can't change the past. What we can do is make a difference NOW, by being proactive and advocating policy change. For a company to state that it doesn't test on animals and that their suppliers don't test, means nothing. They are simply paying the idea lip service. Stop it at the point in the chain where it actually makes a difference! That is, at the point where the chemical (ingredient) is manufactured and tested before being released. Whether this entails it being a new batch of a chemical (ingredient) developed years ago or a new chemical (ingredient) entering the market now.
We are also strict about ensuring that no animal habitat is compromised to supply anything we might use.
Adherence to these principals presents many challenges and an inevitable cost in time and money but we think it's worth it.
WE BELIEVE IN EXCELLENCE
Elixir's founder, Yola Orlowska, has always and still continues to create every fragrance blend and formulation personally. Her love, passion and insistence for uncompromising quality is fused into the very fibres of Elixir and the Elixir family. If she goes missing, we know we're sure to find her in the research and development lab.
WE BELIEVE IN EDUCATION
You might notice that the Elixir site has both internal and external links which take you to information pages because we believe an informed customer can make better decisions and the choice to make the right decision is of paramount importance in today's world. Yes, we want you to buy Elixir products, but we want you to buy with confidence that what you buy is refreshingly different and as natural as possible. A careful check of all the webpages on this site, together with articles and our blog, Naturally Beautiful, will reveal that more space is devoted to informing you, the customer, than trying to make a sale. If you have any comments or queries, please post on our forum.
A whole separate division of Elixir Body Care Ltd is devoted to educating the next generation. As Green Chemistry Consulting Services (GCCS), we have a growing program of green chemistry workshops which are presented in schools from primary to university level students and even teacher training days. In these workshops, students learn how their formal education paves the way to the real world of work, they discover new and exciting green chemistry concepts related to the cosmetics industry, how nanotechnology is impacting society at every level and take part in practical, hands-on experiments that enthuse them with a love for green science.
Since 2007, when the program was introduced, Elixir has subsidised this type of education to the tune of fifty thousand pounds, in the belief that the more the next generation knows about green issues, the better the world will be for them and their children. If you would like to know more about our education program and our work, please visit GCCS.
WE BELIEVE IN GRATITUDE
We hope you have noticed that every time you reload a page on this website, a new inspirational message will appear at the top of the page. We never cease to be inspired by the power of positive thinking and being grateful for every day and what that day brings. We are even grateful when we are offered constructive criticism, as this motivates us to re-evaluate our methods or formulas and to raise the bar that bit higher again.
Every order we send out is accompanied by an inspiring message either from the creators of Elixir or snippets of wisdom we have gleaned from other people who acknowledge the power of our minds. We hope you enjoy reading these empowering messages as much as we have collecting them.