notes | Dot & Lil

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discovering real satsumas
January 27, 2012 bypar Anne D.

bath bath truffles body body butter california citrus handcrafted handmade japanese tangerine jasmine montreal natural perfume satsuma scent soap
junk science
June 17, 2011 bypar Dot and Lil

alexandra spunt chemistry cosmetics fear-mongering green joseph schwarcz mcgill university natural no more dirty looks peer-reviewed science siobhan o'connor synthetic toxic truth

If you've read much of anything on this blog, you know that I talk a lot about truth in skin care and avoiding fear-mongering about "evil" ingredients, especially when the sources leave something to be desired. Well, around this time last year a book came out and my friends and family, seeing that it was claiming to be about the same things, kept referring me to it. So, I took a look! I was...
a preview of the Dot & Lil ingredient glossary: a glamorous look at emulsifying wax!
June 14, 2011 bypar Dot and Lil

cosmetic safety Dirty Dozen emulsifier emulsifying wax NF emulsion ethoxylated ethoxylation handmade ingredient glossary natural PEG polawax polysorbates preservatives synthetic

Although it keeps getting drowned by more immediate-need projects like orders or shows, I have been working on a Dot & Lil ingredient glossary for a few months now, and I'd love to share some of it with you! The plan is for this to be a resource, that I make available online for free, that explains in a fun but detailed and researched way what ingredients we use at Dot & Lil. Below is a first...
contest WINNER! Grapefruit perfume and soap giveaway
April 04, 2011 bypar Dot and Lil

artisan perfume contest giveaway grapefruit and bergamot soap grapefruit perfume handmade soap lilibrunette natural poppy seeds safe cosmetics skin care synthetic truth

Ok, contest closed! In case you somehow managed to miss my incessant tweeting and facebooking about it, since Thursday I've had a contest running. You can see the original contest post with all the great entry comments on skin care and natural and synthetic ingredients here. Thanks for all your wonderful comments! I really loved hearing about the skin care industry from the outside. Things are...
tell me how you really feel; skincare and safety
March 31, 2011 bypar Dot and Lil

bath and body bergamot cosmetic safety cosmetics grapefruit handmade ingredients natural questions skincare synthetic toxic truth

I spend a lot of time thinking about skincare ingredients, obviously. Researching, reading, learning, using and purchasing skincare ingredients and raw materials is the central cog around which all other activities at Dot & Lil turn. I, of course, have very strong opinions about this. But lately, I've been wondering....how does the public, and more specifically my customers and community, really...
ingredient profile: ultramarines, oxides and micas
January 22, 2011 bypar Dot and Lil

colorant dot and lil dyes FD and C handmade iron oxide mica natural pigments ultramarine

This is the beginning of a new series of posts I'll be doing that explain the ingredients I use at Dot & Lil and why I choose to use them. Watch out for a series of video blog posts coming in 2011 on this subject, too.

Today I wanted to talk about the colorants I use in Dot & Lil products.

ingredient: ultramarines, oxides and micas
name in INCI as listed on our ingredient list:oxide, mica,...
i want to teach, not preach
December 11, 2010 bypar Dot and Lil

chemistry cosmetic safety dot and lil handcarfted formulation glossary handmade montreal natural parabens peer-reviewed science skin care

I have been thinking more and more these days about how I want Dot & Lil to represent truth in skin care, education in the personal care industry, really teach consumers about what they are using. If you know me well or have gotten to talking to me at a craft fair, you'll know how passionate I am about understanding what we use on our bodies. I was reminded today by this blog post by Seth Godin(wh...
how David Suzuki broke my heart
October 30, 2010 bypar Dot and Lil

broken heart cancer CBC chemicals David Suzuki Foundation fragrance handcrafted handmade Health Canada INCI montreal natural neuro-toxins parfum science truth in skin care

At the end of my last postI mentioned that I was going to tackle how David Suzuki broke my heart recently. I've talked about it on twitter, too. You see, I grew up hearing, watching and reading things about and by David Suzuki. He is an intelligent man. I have always respected what he believes, and trusted what he does. Until now.

Recently, David Suzuki, through his work at the David Suzuki...
a reminder about preservatives
June 20, 2010 bypar Dot and Lil

anhydrous bath and body handcrafted lab testing lotion montreal natural preservatives safe cosmetics truth in skin care water

Someone recently asked me whether the things I make are "preservative-free". The simple answer is "yes". But the truth is longer than one word. Read on if you want to learn a nugget of truth about the things we all use on our skin!

The products I choose to make at Dot & Lil are anhydrous. This means that I formulate them without water. Because of this, they do not require a preservative. That's why...
preservatives
January 31, 2009 bypar Dot and Lil

antioxidants cosmetic safety dot and lil handcrafted homemade locally made lotion montreal natural preservatives produits pour le bain savon scrub

I have been asked a lot lately about preservatives and whether or not we use them. The short answer is no, we do not use preservatives in any of our products. But this has nothing to do with feeling they are unsafe and everything to do with the fact that we have chosen to make products that do not require a preservative to stay fresh and germ free.

Any product that has water in it (like lotions) or...

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