The 0% Standard™
OUR STANDARD
Fourteen exclusions. No exceptions. Across every product we have ever made.
The 0% Standard™ is not a marketing pledge. It is a formulation rule we wrote for ourselves, before PrimalBasics existed as a brand, and have held without compromise ever since. Every single product we make respects it. Every ingredient we consider passes through it. When the list below updates — which it does, very occasionally, as we learn more about an ingredient or a new concern emerges — we update the list publicly, here on this page, with a note about what changed and why.
Some exclusions are category-scoped. Baking soda, for example, is excluded from our deodorant (where its alkalinity damages the skin's acid mantle) but appropriate in toothpaste (where saliva neutralises it within seconds). Each product page lists the exclusions that apply to that category — we don't pretend every rule applies everywhere.
0% Industrial Seed Oils
We do not use cold-pressed rosehip, evening primrose, sunflower, grape seed, hemp, hazelnut, or any other polyunsaturated seed oil — not because those oils are universally harmful, but because they oxidise on the skin. When linoleic-acid-rich oils are exposed to air, light, and warmth, they generate oxidised linoleic acid metabolites (OXLAMs), which mechanistic studies have documented as pro-inflammatory at the cellular level. We use only saturated or monounsaturated lipids, which do not meaningfully oxidise under normal skin conditions.
0% Synthetic Fragrance
Synthetic fragrance is among the most common triggers of contact dermatitis. "Fragrance" on an INCI list is legally allowed to hide dozens of compounds. We scent our products, where we scent them at all, with essential oils measured in drops per bottle — and we list every oil we use.
0% Hexane
Hexane is a solvent used to extract oils cheaply from plant material. Residual hexane is an issue of cold-pressed vs refined sourcing. We specify unrefined or cold-pressed only.
0% Phthalates
Phthalates are plasticisers associated with endocrine disruption. There is no reason to use them in a well-formulated cosmetic.
0% Parabens
Parabens are a broad class of preservatives. Some are linked to oestrogen mimicry. We do not use them. Most of our products are water-free, which means no preservation system is required.
0% Triclosan
Triclosan is an antibacterial agent whose use has been curtailed in many markets. We never used it, and we won't.
0% Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)
SLS is a foaming surfactant and a documented trigger of recurrent aphthous ulcers (canker sores). Our cleansing products do not foam because they do not need to. Our tooth powder does not foam because it does not need to.
0% Propylene Glycol
Propylene glycol is a humectant/solvent used in many water-based cosmetics. It is a known sensitiser for a meaningful slice of the population.
0% Aluminium (Deodorant)
Aluminium chlorohydrate is the active ingredient in antiperspirants. It works by mechanically blocking the sweat glands. Magnesium chloride achieves odour control by a completely different mechanism — skin-pH modulation — and does not prevent the body from doing what it is supposed to do.
0% Baking Soda (Deodorant)
Baking soda is a common "clean" deodorant active. It is also a well-documented cause of underarm skin irritation. Magnesium chloride works without this side effect.
0% Fluoride (Tooth Powder)
Fluoride is effective, and we take no position on fluoridated toothpaste generally. We simply do not use it in our formula, because we have formulated around mineral remineralisation through bentonite clay and the mouth's native saliva chemistry.
0% DEET (Repellent)
DEET is effective but also a neurotoxin and a known plastic-degrading agent. Our repellent uses Java citronella, vanilla CO₂, and patchouli essential oil in an oil-based carrier.
0% Silicones
Silicones (dimethicone, cyclopentasiloxane, etc.) provide the "slip" feeling many high-end skincare products rely on. They also sit on the skin rather than integrate with it, and are environmental pollutants that biodegrade poorly. We use squalane and MCT to achieve similar tactile properties through compatible chemistry.
0% Petroleum Derivatives
Mineral oil and petrolatum — the second and third ingredients in Crème de La Mer, respectively — are safe, stable, cheap occlusive agents. They are also inert. They do not restore barrier function. They sit on top of the skin. We prefer lipids that do something.