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How can we guarantee the SPF in our sunscreen?
When you think about sunscreen, SPF (Sun Protection Factor) is probably on of the first things that come to mind. Protecting your skin against harmful UV radiation is very important, so we want to explain to you how we can guarantee an effective SPF in our sun care products. Let's get into it! Mineral sunscreenFirst things first; we made the conscious choice to create a mineral sunscreen. Although mineral sunscreen is pretty common in other countries, the Dutch market still offers mostly traditional sunscreen with non-mineral filters (better known as chemical). Mineral sunscreen with a zinc oxide based filter like ours lays a physical barrier on top of the skin that reflects harmful UV radiation. Non-mineral filters penetrate the skin and then cause a chemical reaction where the UV beams are absorbed instead. You can find more information about UV filters here. Because these filters penetrate the skin there is a bigger chance on skin irritation and it takes longer for the sunscreen to do its job. There are also some ingredients in non-mineral filters that can cause harm to coral reefs, and we don't want that, do we? Zinc and SPFZinc oxide based sunscreen has another perk. The amount of added zinc is a direct reflection on its protective properties. To reach an SPF of 30, a product needs to contain 21% zinc oxide for example. Just to be sure we even try to add a little more zinc oxide to our products. Our 2024 formula additionally also contains not one, but two extra boosters. Good protection guaranteed! LabtestenAnd then what? Although this percentage is a good start, we of course also test our formula extensively before we start production. We do this at an independent laboratory, Helioscience, specialized in mineral sunscreen. In vitro and in vivo There are to different ways in which sunscreen can be tested: in vitro and in vivo. All our formulas are first tested in vitro. This means we look at the product in a more technical way. For traditional sunscreen they look at the heat that is released, because non-mineral UV filters absorb the sun rays and convert them to heat. But that not how mineral sunscreen works. A zinc oxide based UV filter adds a protective layer on top of the skin that reflects UV radiation in stead of absorbing it. No heat released. That's why it's important to test mineral sunscreen differently than non-mineral sunscreen. Helioscience knows exactly how to do this!Only when the in vitro tests are positive we start with in vivo testing. These tests are done on actual skin, of real people that is! A small portion of the skin of 10-20 people is exposed to controlled sun beams. The reaction of the skin is measured to see how effective the SPF is. They check how long it takes for the skin to get red. When it takes 30 times longer than usual it means the product has SPF 30. In vivo tests are always done on people with different kinds of skin types and skin conditions. ProductionIf you want to sell products, they need to meet the strict regulations of the Nederlandse Cosmetica Vereniging (Dutch Cosmetic Association). Only when we know for sure our product meet their guidelines we start producing our sunscreen. Apart from strict laws, we also have terms and conditions that are important for us as a brand: would we use these products for our own kids? If the answer is yes, we start production. Are there any doubts? We decide against producing the product. This way we ensure that we only launch products that we are really proud of.TransparancyAt Naïf we want to change the personal care industry, because let's be honest, we can and have to do better. We believe change starts with honesty and transparancy. That's why we decided to share the results of ALL our sunscreen tests. And remember, these are done at a independent laboratory. We think it's important that you know what you're putting onto your skin!
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Hooray! Our B Corp score went from 89.4 to 111.9!
Exciting news! After hard work and lots of improvements Naïf received their B Corp recertification. We have been putting in quite the work these past years to use our company as a force for good and to make a positive impact. And good news: hard work pays off. Our B Corp score went from 89.4 to 111.9. Want to know what steps we have taken and how we are shaking up the industry? Keep reading! You might wonder: what is a B Corp? Well, a B Corp, or Benefit Corporation, is an official certificate for commercial companies that make a positive impact on society and the planet. Not just the products, but also our non-profit activities are being taken into account in issuing the certificate. We get scored on these five pillars: workers, community, governance, environment and customers. And with pride we can share that we improved on all of them! All pillars get their own score through a point system which then makes up the overall B Corp score. In total you need 80 points to get the B Corp certificate. Our previous score was 89,4, and now, three years later, we improved this to a score of 111,9! Wow! We already shared a lot of our hard work in our impact report. Here you could read how we have been working on improving our products to reduce our ecological footprint. Last week we said goodbye to our shower foam, because we realised it was our least sustainable product. But that is not all! We believe it is a continuous process of learning and improving and we aim to be as transparent as possible about it. Are you ready? Because we love to tell you about more improvements over the years. 1. WorkersEmployees are super important, because without them we can’t change the industry. Our team grew massively in the last years and is filled with people who truly believe in Naïf’s mission. We are super grateful for this! They take care of the company, and as a company we take care of them in return. Good care is really in our core. Because we grew so much we put everything we do for each other in writing, so everyone can see! Think about inspiration sessions about impact and investing in (personal) development of our workers through different training sessions. 2. CommunityOur mission has always been to help all parents take good care, worry free. We have made this into a formal commitment now! And we also have gotten even more selective about collaborations. Our partners are chosen with care and need to really fit our mission. 3. GovernanceReducing our impact on the planet has always been Naïf’s goal, and now we have all committed to this mission by incorporating impact into our personal goals. This means that everyone is consciously doing their best to reduce our impact! 4. EnvironmentThat we are trying to minimise our impact on the environment is nothing new to you right. But what have we actually done? In our impact report we have examined the emissions of all our products. These insights have been taken into account in all our future plans. We stopped producing our shower foams, because the packaging had more negative impact than we had foreseen. 5. CustomersOur customers (that's you!) are important. The products you love are made with you, your baby and your baby’s baby in mind. To help our customers to the best of our ability we have installed a special tool to help us put you in the centre!We are super proud of our hard work, but we are not there yet! We’re constantly working on improving ourselves and our products. Want to know more about our mission and our goals, you can read everything about this in our impact report.
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Hooray! Our new refill packs are here
Did you see yet? Our new refillpacks are here! After Naïf Wash Gel and Shampoo we now added our Bath Foam for baby and kids to the refill family. And that is not all! We want to introduce you to our first refill in the adult category: our Shampoo! Now you can use your favorite care products while being sustainable! Great for the planet and your wallet! Worry-free bathing has just become even more worry-fee. Did you know our new refill packs save up to 76% plastic? And of course there are still no microplastics and SLS added, instead we use a foaming agent with derivatives of coconut fibre. Lots of bubbles and fun, milder for the skin!Why refills are the futureAt Naïf we think re-using and refilling existing packages are the future. But why? You may ask. Well, we love to tell you. As mentioned before refilling saves plastic, For our Bath Foam this is 68%, while our Wash Gel and Shampoo refills use 76% less plastic. Why the difference? Our Bath Foam bottle does not contain a pump. Producing a refill saves 70% on CO2. Wow! Refills also save a lot of CO2 during transportation. A truck with empty Doypacks (yes, that is how our refill packs are called) replaces 20 (we cannot believe it!) trucks with bottles. And that obviously saves a lot of emissions. In short, by refilling your original container you can save a lot. And that is how we can work towards a future in which our kids can grow up worry-free.At Naïf we want to change the world of personal care. We believe that it can and has to become more sustainable. That is why we continuously work on improving our products and everything we do. Our dream? Climate neutral en plastic free products. Baby step by baby step. To make sure our products are nog only good for your baby, but also for your the babies of your babies baby.
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