Our Pledge

• Palm-free products with ingredients sourced responsibly and ethically
• No weird ingredients — ever (see our banned list below)
• Minimal packaging that is reusable and/or recycle-able

We don't use palm oil and here's why

Palm oil is in almost everything. You'll find it in baby formulas, cereal, laundry detergents, chocolate bars, toothpastes, and a majority of soaps, shampoos, and cosmetics. 

Bella & Oliver Soap Co. previously used palm oil that was certified by The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). Growing issues surrounding the palm industry are hard to ignore: plantations employing child labor, blatant human rights violations, and continued deforestation. So, we stopped the use of palm oil in our products. 

Palm oil is a a major driver of deforestation of some of the world’s most biodiverse forests, destroying the habitat of already endangered species like the orangutan, pygmy elephant and Sumatran rhino. Today, more than 50% of orangutans are found outside protected areas in forests under management by timber, palm oil and mining companies. This forest loss coupled with conversion of carbon rich peat soils are throwing out millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and contributing to climate change.

More recently, we have major concerns surrounding the exploitation of workers, child labor, and rape. These are serious issues. In December 2020 the U.S. went as far as to "ban all shipments of palm oil from one of the world’s biggest producers after finding indicators of forced labor and other abuses on plantations that feed into the supply chains of some of America’s most famous food and cosmetic companies."

Some countries have confessed that physical and sexual abuse appears to be a growing problem, with most victims afraid to speak out.

You might ask, "But isn't sustainable palm oil available?" The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) promises sustainable palm oil. Unfortunately, that doesn't guarantee the palm oil is free of child labor or other abuses. Pervasive problems have been found on plantations, including those certified as sustainable.

Unfortunately, a boycott of palm oil isn't the complete solution. The solution comes in the form of an accountable, trustworthy, ethical, and regulated supply chain. Until we can feel good about its source, we can only hope the removal of palm oil from our products will lead to more informed choices about consumership.

Ingredients We Don't Use

• Palm Oil (or it's derivatives)
  Including Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl alcohol, and Stearic Acid
• Parabens
  Common preservatives found in skincare products. Parabens can irritate the skin. Studies suggest parabens can disrupt hormones, harm fertility and reproductive organs, and increase the risk of cancer.
• Sulfates (SLS & SLES)
  Surfactants common in soaps and shampoos that increases foaming power. They are produced from petroleum and plant sources such as palm oil.
• Phthalate Fragrances
  Common in skincare products and candles. Studies have found health problems related to artificial fragrances and phthalates. Additionally, they contain hormone disruptors linked to abnormal cell reproduction.
• Petrochemicals
  Chemical products made from refining petroleum. Derived from fossil fuels.