Making the cleaning industry more transparent.
Selective is the most fitting word to describe the journey of carefully picking ingredients for our products, with everything from origin to an environmental aspect being considered. In a climate where greenwashing becomes more and more common we choose to be transparent about what we use and more importantly, what we don’t use.
Ingredients you cannot find inside our products.
Did you know that it’s not mandatory for cleaning companies to list all of the ingredients that they use on their packaging? Thus making it impossible for you as a consumer to fully know what you actually are buying. Maybe this doesn’t sound like a big deal but you could unknowingly be buying household items which are petroleum based without even knowing!
Inklapbare content
petroleum-based cleaners
Let’s break this down. Petroleum is one of the most used resources in the world today. As you probably already know, the extraction of petroleum and the combustion of fossil fuels is a major contributor to global warming with its colossal carbon dioxide emissions. Now, what does this have to do with cleaning supplies?
For a cleaning product to be effective it needs to use some type of surfactant that emulsifies the unwanted grease, dirt and oil from your surfaces. This surfactant could either be petroleum based or vegetable based. In other words, the element that removes the dirt from your surfaces could be based on a non-renewable resource. However, with Skosh products - this is something you don’t have to worry about.
microplastics
Most of us are familiar with the term microplastics by now. The definition of microplastic is quite straightforward, any type of plastic that is smaller than 5 mm. What you might not be familiar with is the fact that many manufacturers actually use this as an ingredient in their detergents. Not only do some detergents contain microplastics, they do not even need to state this on the ingredient list on the packaging!
As you might already have guessed, we at Skosh do not use microplastics as one of our ingredients. Obviously.
Non-vegan ingredients
It came as quite a shock for us when we realized that not all cleaning products are vegan. In this day and age there are still big companies that both use ingredients that are both derived from and tested on animals.
Here are some of the hidden non-vegan ingredients that unfortunately are quite common in everyday cleaning products:
• Caprylic acid (sourced from milk)
• Tallow (rendered beef fat)
• Animal glycerol and stearic acid (animal fats)
• Oleyl alcohols (sourced from fish)
All our products are vegan-certified, which means we don't test on animals or use animal products.
Ingredients you can find in our products.
At Skosh we want to be transparent about which ingredients we use. This is so that you as a customer can make a consumer choice based on facts. To do this we try to explain our ingredients in a way that makes the information easy to understand, easy to access and easy to base decisions on.
When shopping on our website you can find the ingredients listed on each individual product page.
Cleaners
sodium carbonate
Category: Mineral
Origin: Ammonia and carbon dioxide are used to produce sodium carbonate from salt and limestone
Can be found in:Cleaning tablets
Description: Sodium (hydrogen) carbonate naturally has a higher pH value and is for this reason an efficient ingredient in cleaning products. A higher pH value is optimal for removing grease stains on surfaces, for instance kitchen countertops after a dinner party. Sodium carbonate is not only a star cleaner, it also receives an A rating from the Environmental Working Group (EWG).This indicates that the substance is safe, both for humans and the environment.
Sodium percarbonate
Category: Mineral
Origin: Produced by the reaction of sodium carbonate with hydrogen peroxide
Can be found in: Laundry powder
Description: Sodium percarbonate is an active oxygen. This can be found in our laundry powder and dishwasher tablet as it helps brighten the color of clothes clean the dishes as well as it is an efficient stain remover.
sodium bicarbonate
Category: Mineral
Origin: Made from Sodium carbonate (occurs naturally in limestone)and salts
Can be found in: Cleaning tablets
Description: Sodium bicarbonate, or as you may be more familiar with as baking soda, can help grease to dissolve in water. This is because it is a mild alkali. Many household cleaners contain strong alkalis, which isn’t good for our health - and also why we at Skosh avoid them.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate
Category: Plant-based
Origin: Made of RSPO certified palm oil
Can be found in: Cleaning tablets
Description: Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate (SLS) is a surfactant in cleaning products, it is often used to break water tension and attract dirt and grime away from the material it is intended to clean. We use SLS that is derived from coconut or palm oil from renewable carbon plant-derived materials.
Concerns:We accept ingredients derived from palm oil when the suppliers are able to produce documentation or evidence that the palm oil is RSPO certified but if they cannot, we will change to suppliers who can.
We prefer to use coconut derived ingredients, but there are unfortunately many times when an efficacious, cost effective, and compatible formulation solution only exists from a non-coconut derived source. In these cases, we selectively use other naturally derived plant oils for our surfactant ingredients, including palm oils.
There has been a wide array of misleading information propagated about this ingredient over the years. Most of this information is not supported by the scientific community, with the exception of skin and eye irritation. While it is true that SLS in its raw form can be irritating to skin or eyes, when formulated properly and mixed with other ingredients, this risk can be decreased. Skosh tests all of its products for safety, including those that contain SLS. Skosh never tests on animals.
Sodium C14 16 Sulfonate
Category: Natural sources
Origin: Made from Coconut oil
Can be found in: Cleaning tablets
Description: Sodium C14 16 Sulfonate is a surfactant derived from natural sources, such as coconut oil. Surfactants act as powerful cleaning agents. These agents work byreducing the surface tension of water, allowing it to penetrate and lift away dirt, grease, and grime
sodium silicate
Category: Mineral
Origin: Reaction of silica sand with soda ash
Can be found in: Laundry powder
Description: Sodium silicate is a buffer agent, meaning it adjusts the pH value of a solution. We use it in our laundry powder as it effectively removes oil and grease.
bacillus subtilis
Category:Plant-based
Can be found in: Kitchen cleaning tablet
Description: We use Bacillus subtilis bacteria in our probiotic cleaner, since it is the bacteria that is proven to have the best cleaning effect. In our products we ensure that we only use good bacteria and avoid using genetically modified microorganisms. The bacteria are supplied by our trusted partner Novozymes who stand for the highest quality and proven effects.
Laureth-7
Category: Plant-based
Origin: Made of RSPO certified palm oil
Can be found in: Color & Clean laundry powder
Description: Laureth-7 can be found in our laundry powder, where it works away at stains without turning the color of your laundry dull.
It is common that Laureth-7 consists of Ethylene Oxide, an organic compound that is extracted from petroleum. However, petroleum based products are a no go for Skosh and that’s why our Laureth-7 is extracted from RSPO certified palm oil or coconut oil.
Concerns:We accept ingredients that are derived from palm oil when the suppliers are able to produce documentation or evidence that the palm oil is RSPO certified.
We always prefer to use coconut derived ingredients, but at times an efficacious, cost effective, and compatible formulation solution only exists from a non-coconut derived source. In these cases, we selectively use other naturally derived plant oils for our surfactant ingredients, including palm oils.
water softeners & pH regulators
zeolites
Category:Mineral
Can be found in: Laundry powder
Description: Instead of using harmful phosphates we use zeolites in our laundry powder. The zeolites are ion exchange builders that replace the water hardness ions. The reason for this is to soften the water without harming the environment. You might ask yourself why we need to soften the water? The answer is simple, by softening the water, less surfactant is needed to clean your clothes, which is better for the environment.
citric acid
Category:Plant-based
Origin: Citric acid is produced by submerged fermentation using fungus (Aspergillus niger).
Can be found in:Cleaning tablets
Description: Citric acid works wonders for both cleaning as well as disinfecting your surfaces at home. It is a natural acid that is originally derived from citrus fruits which makes it naturally biodegradable. When citric acid is commercially used it is impossible to only derive it from citrus fruits as it would result in an entire mountain of lemons. This is why it is instead derived from Aspergillus niger, which is an environmentally friendly way of deriving it.
Concern:A common misconception is that citric acid derived from fungus is harmful. The truth is, commercially produced citric acid goes through a cleansing process ensuring that no fungus is left in the final product. This way commercially produced citric acid can be used in nutrition supplements, food additives and cleaning products in a safe way. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified citric acid as generally recognized as safe from an environmental aspect.
Malic acid (Äppelsyra)
Category:Plant-based
Origin: Fermentation from glucose
Can be found in:Glass & Mirror cleaning tablet
Description: The word malic means apple in latin. This way it comes as no surprise that malic acid is derived from apples and is quite in fact what causes their sour taste. We use this ingredient in our cleaning tablets, to enhance their cleaning effect and adjust the acidity.
other
Sodium polyitaconate
Category:Plant-based
Origin:Produced by the fermentation process of sugarcane or sugar beets
Can be found in:Laundry powder
Description:Sodium polyitaconate is a natural and biodegradable acid that we use in our products to help stabilize the surfactants allowing for gentler formulations.
Sodium sulfate
Category: Mineral
Can be found in: Laundry powder
Description: Sodium sulfate is used as a filler in our laundry powder. The ingredient prevents the powder from sticking together and becoming one big block, allowing it to flow freely. This is possible because sodium sulfate keeps the laundry powder dry and good in condition.
Sodium citrate
Category: Plant-based
Origin: Produced by the fermentation process of sugarcane or sugar beets
Can be found in: Color & Clean laundry powder and cleaning tablets
Description: Sodium citrate is used as a builder in detergents. It helps to improve the performance of the detergent by making it more effective at removing stains and dirt. Additionally, sodium citrate can be used as a descaling agent to remove mineral deposits from surfaces.
Cellulose gum
Category:Plant-based
Origin: Comes from the cell walls of plants, such as wood pulp and cotton seeds
Can be found in: Laundry powder
Description: Cellulose gum is a natural additive commonly used in food as it creates texture. However, we use it in our laundry powder - not because you’re meant to eat it, but because it creates a negatively charged barrier against dirt particles. This prevents dirt from reattaching to the laundry when being washed.
Enzymes
Category: Plant-based
Origin: Protein
Can be found in:Laundry powder
Description: We use enzymes to enhance the laundry powder and make your laundry last longer. Enzymes are proteins that enable or accelerate a chemical reaction. Without getting too technical about it…In a nutshell enzymes break down fat and dirt, to make sure it's easier for the cleaners to remove stains from your garments. We also use a specific enzyme called cellulase, which reduces the grey coating that appears in white clothing over time, keeping your garments looking vibrant!
Our laundry powder consist of the following enzymes:
- Subtilisin
- Amylase
- Pectate lyase
- Mannanase
- Lipase
- Cellulase
Fragrance
Category: Odoriferous mixture based on natural and synthetic ingredients
Can be found in: Cleaning tablets
Description: We avoid using intense fragrances in our products, since we want them to be gentle for you and the environment. Most of our products are even fragrance-free, as you can see below. Nonetheless, a small amount of fragrance can be found in our cleaning tablets - as little as 0.02 grams per tablet.
Our fragrance free products:
✓ Color & Clean laundry powder
✓ White & Bright laundry powder
✓ Dishwasher tablets
✓ Probiotica cleaning tablet
Our products that contain a small amount of fragrance:
✓ multi-purpose cleaning tablet
✓ bathroom cleaning tablet
✓ glass & mirror tablet
Coloring
Category: Solvent dye
Can be found in: Cleaning tablets
Description: In order to make it easier for our customers to keep their different Skosh cleaning products apart, we add a very small amount of solvent dye (powder form) to our cleaning tablets. More precisely - as little as 0.002 grams per tablet that easily dissolves in water. However, most of our products don’t contain any coloring, as you can see below.
Our products that are free from coloring:
✓ Color & Clean laundry powder
✓ White & Bright laundry powder
✓ Dishwasher tablets
✓ Probiotica cleaning tablet
Our products that contain a small amount of coloring:
✓ multi-purpose cleaning tablet
✓ bathroom cleaning tablet
✓ glass & mirror tablet