FAQ Badeanstalten

​Based on our 20 years of experience in the cosmetic industry, we know that few things in life are black-and-white. There isn’t a universal list of solutions you can follow when making decisions. There are no absolutes, and all decisions have consequences. One thing is certain: At Badeanstalten, we’re determined to leave the earth in a better condition than it was when we got here – and everything we do, we do based on careful consideration. Sustainability is part of everything we do, and it's a process that we will never finish.

We are Badeanstalten, and these are our views and answers to the questions we’re often asked. Feel free to contact us if you don’t find what you’re looking for.

Q1: Where are Badeanstalten’s products produced?

The majority of our skin care products are produced on our premises in Nørresundby, Denmark. We like the idea that our products are “made on the other side of the road” rather than “made on the other side of the world”. Our experienced employees blend the ingredients for our soaps, cut them and package them. We also produce all of our other products, pouring the liquid soaps and body oils into their bottles, and putting our creams and body scrubs into their jars. And we do it all right here on our property, without the products leaving our grounds. For the past 10 years, our social-economic partners in Brønderslev, Denmark, have helped us label our products before shipping them to our dealers and private customers.

Q2: What does Badeanstalten do to reduce its CO2 emissions?

We’re always on the lookout for new ways of reducing our environmental impact. One of our initiatives is developing products that don’t contain water, but rather “transform” into, e.g. bodylotion, a facial mask or shampoo, when you add water from your own faucet. When you think about the billions of tons of water that is added to the different products that are shipped around the world, the environmental benefits of having consumers blend the products with water from their own tap become readily apparent.

Q3: Is Badeanstalten’s packaging environmentally-friendly?

In our work to reduce our products’ climate footprint, we’ve put in place several initiatives. For example, we offer refill bags for different products, such as our hand sanitizer, and we don’t use double packaging, meaning we don’t sell our products with extra outer boxes, bags or plastic wrapping.

We take a holistic approach to our packaging, which means we evaluate our packaging’s CO2-impact through the entire supply chain, before we put it into production. Our current packaging, which primarily consists of cardboard, hard plastic and glass, is the result of our on-going evaluations, e.g. where we weigh the energy consumption connected with a certain type of packaging (its CO2-impact) against our customers’ needs and preferences.

Q4: What is Badeanstalten’s view of plastic?

Our packaging – tubes, tins and soap bottles, etc.– primarily contains the plastic materials PET, Polyethylene terephthalate, or PP, Polypropylene. Both types of plastic are well-suited for storing cosmetic products, and they are also recyclable. Once you’re finished with a Badeanstalten product, you can reuse the packaging for other purposes in the home or recycle it, so it has the least possible environmental impact. Denmark has a remarkable waste management system, and most municipalities offer good recycling services, which we encourage our customers to take advantage of. Our plastic packaging can, depending on the municipality in question, be placed directly in the container for plastic waste. If you live in Denmark, you can find more information about waste sorting on borger.dk.

Q5: How does Badeanstalten handle glass packaging?

When we use glass in our product packaging, we do it after carefully weighing the functional properties against the environmental impact. Glass requires more wrapping when being transported and weighs more. On the other hand, certain products are best presented in glass. Our body and facial oils are packaged in environmentally-friendly violet glass with UV-filter, which helps the product last longer. This means that the products have a longer shelf-life, which reduces waste. The glass is 100% recyclable, and should be placed in the recycle bin. When you put the glass, regardless of colour, in the glass recycling container, the majority of it will be used to produce new glass.

Q6: What is Badeanstalten’s position regarding palm and coconut oils?

We use both palm and coconut oils in our products, for example as ingredients in our soaps. Saponified oils give a soap larger bubbles and a creamy foam. The coconut oil we use is grown on a plantation. With regards to palm oil, we’re very much aware of the fact that a number of palm oil plantations have been criticized for irresponsible business practices regarding worker conditions, use of pesticides, land rights and other areas. We only use palm oils that fulfil RSPO* criteria. *RSPO – Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil was established in 2004, and is a not-for-profit organisation. RSPO’s purpose is to promote the growth and use of sustainable palm oil. There is a shortage of certified, sustainable palm oil on the world market, because sustainable production has yet to be established. By becoming certified according to the RSPO Supply Chain Certification System, you support the establishment of sustainable and transparent production throughout the entire supply chain, all the way until the product reaches the consumer.

Q7: Can Badeanstalten’s products cause perfume allergies?

All of our products contain fragrance, both essential oils and nature-identical scents, which are categorized as “perfume”. Essential oils and nature-identical scents contain fragrance ingredients that can cause allergic reactions, if you have a hyper-sensitivity. According to Asthma-Allergy Denmark, 4% of the Danish population has a perfume allergy. If you suspect you have a perfume allergy, we encourage you to get an allergy test, so you can avoid fragrances that you can’t tolerate. According to Danish cosmetic legislation, there are 26 selected perfume and aromatic substances that have to be declared separately if they have a concentration of 0.001% in a product that you don’t wash off, e.g. hand creams, and 0.01% in a product that you wash off, such as soap. If they are present in one of our products, they will be included at the end of the ingredients list.

Q8: Which types of oils are contained in Badeanstalten’s products?

The skin produces its own oils, but there are certain benefits to adding oils, as they can help maintain skin moisture, soften the skin and strengthen its elasticity. Oils are present in almost all of Badeanstalten’s products: jojoba, almond, olive, coconut, castor, palm, rapeseed, etc. They are vegetable oils and each have their own unique properties which serve different purposes. For example, we use saponified coconut oil to create larger bubbles in our soaps; saponified palm oil to achieve a creamy foam; and saponified rapeseed oil to help the soap glide better through your hands. Dry oil and jojoba oils absorb particularly quickly into the skin, which makes them well-suited for facial products. We’re always on the lookout for new vegetable oils with skin nurturing properties and/or that provide exciting, new sensory experiences.

Q9: Do Badeanstalten’s products contain perfume?

Yes; however, not all scents are created equal. Badeanstalten’s products contain both essential oils and nature-identical fragrances. Both are categorised “perfume”. The essential oils are concentrated, aromatic plant extracts that, in addition to providing scent, also have aromatherapeutic or skincare properties. Essential oils are extracted from natural sources, such as mint, orange, lavender and lemon. The word “nature-identical” means that the scent is created synthetically in a lab, but is chemically identical to substances found in nature. Nature-identical fragrances are produced using nature-identical fragrance ingredients. These ingredients are combined so that they produce the desired fragrance, such as “berry scent” or “coconut scent”, which don’t exist as essential oils. Please note: Both essential oils and nature-identical fragrances contain fragrance ingredients that can induce allergic reactions. To find out more, see the Allergy section.

Q10: Are there colourants in Badeanstalten’s products?

Our products contain colourants, both natural and nature-identical, which give our products their unique, beautiful colours. For example, carrot extract produces a nice, orange-yellow colour, and blue chamomile extract gives a dazzling, dark-blue colour. Our facial masks have their own natural clay colour. Additionally, we use mineral pigments (also used in mineral makeup) to colour our handmade soaps.

Q11: Do Badeanstalten’s products contain chemicals?

There are many popular misconceptions about chemicals. Chemicals are not inherently toxic. They’re present in everything, including Badeanstalten’s products. The term “chemistry” literally means, “the branch of science concerned with substances of which matter is composed, the investigation of their properties and reactions and the use of such reactions to form new substances” – so all products, from apples to balloons to electric tools to the creams you use on your skin, are chemicals and have a chemical formula. However, our products DO NOT contain hazardous or dangerous chemicals, such as turpentine, heptane and acetic acid, which contain substances that can be harmful to our health and the environment. Products containing these types of chemicals have to be labelled as “hazardous materials”.

Q12: Does Badeanstalten use the sulphates, Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) and Sodium laureth sulphate (SLES)?

No. Badeanstalten’s handmade soaps and body wash are traditional fatty acid soaps made the old-fashioned way from vegetable oils. Therefore, they do not contain the detergents, SLS or SLES.

Q13: Do Badeanstalten’s products contain parabens?

Even though parabens are safe, well-documented preservatives, we have chosen NOT to include them in our products.

Water is the foundation for all life. In cosmetic products that contain water, such as creams, liquid soaps and the like, water is the breeding ground for microorganisms. Therefore, you have to add preservatives in order to ensure a long shelf-life. At Badeanstalten, we use different preservatives, such as sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate, depending on what is best suited for the product in question. Parabens are among the best-known preservatives, and there was a time when you would often find the problematic, hormone-disrupting parabens on ingredient lists. Please note: Product claims that denigrate or discredit approved substances or competitors are not allowed in Denmark. For example, we’re not allowed to write “Paraben-free” on our products – even though they are.

Q14: Is Badeanstalten organic?

Many of our customers are interested in organic products out of a desire to safeguard their health and/or the environment. According to the Danish Consumer Ombudsman’s guidelines pertaining to organic cosmetic products, at least 95% of a product’s ingredients (excluding water) must be organic in order for the product to be classified as organic. Thus, our products are not organic.

​When it makes sense in relation to sustainability, we will use organic ingredients. The organic ingredients that we use in our products are marked with an asterisk on the product declaration.

Q15: Are Badeanstalten’s products all-natural?

Neither Denmark nor the EU have an official definition or legislation defining the use of the term “natural” or “all-natural”. Thus, there are many differing opinions about these terms. According to the EU’s nutrition and health claims regulations, natural ingredients are ingredients that come from “plants, animals and microorganisms,” which are not subsequently chemically altered.

If a natural ingredient is processed in a manner that differs too much from its natural form, it can no longer be considered natural. At Badeanstalten, we always strive to use natural ingredients or ingredients that come from nature, which are processed as little as possible, and which at the same time fulfil our criteria for quality and functionality.

Q16: Are Badeanstalten’s products vegan?

The vast majority of our products are made without animal-derived ingredients. So, if you’re vegan, you can confidently use our products, with the exception of our “Bodyscrub - Nectar” and our “Face Scrub - Marigold”, which contain beeswax; and our lip balm, which contains honey.
 

Q17: Are Badeanstalten’s products tested on animals?

We are very much against using animal testing for cosmetics. Fortunately, these practices are illegal, both in Denmark and the rest of the EU. The ban applies both to finished products and the individual ingredients and has been in place in the EU since 2004. In 2009, the EU banned testing ingredients on animals and the marketing of products tested on animals.

In 2013, the EU instituted a definitive ban on marketing products with ingredients tested on animals, whether the testing took place within or outside of the EU. So why don’t we write on our packaging that we don’t use animal testing? Because that is viewed as misleading marketing: You’re not allowed to make a claim based on the fact that you’re complying with the law.

Q18: What are Badeanstalten’s values?

Being present is our most important core value, and at the heart of everything we do here at Badeanstalten. Presence is a gift you can give to others, to the work you do and to yourself. In our company, we work with presence on several levels:

• We’re present when we make our products; from our careful selection of local ingredients, to the choice of packaging and product testing to the final shipment of our finished products to the outside world.

• We’re present, when we communicate with our dealers, partners and customers on the phone, via email and face-to-face.

• We’re present with each other internally – we listen attentively, give constructive feedback and are considerate in our tone.

• We support our customers’ view of being close to themselves with our products, which all in different ways stimulate the sense of sight, smell and touch.

Closeness is about being present in the now. Psychologists and other experts highlight that closeness or intimacy gives more energy to life. At Badeanstalten, we believe that closeness is what makes life fuller for all of us.

As humans, we’re built to develop closeness. It’s an innate ability. One can, however, forget intimacy along the way, or simply get out of practice with showing it. But, since it’s innate, you can find it again.

One of the ways to increase closeness is through Badeanstalten’s products. As the soap foams on your skin, the delightful scents fill the bath, the body scrub stimulates the circulation and as you massage the body oil into your skin and let it take effect, you gradually achieve a closeness – with yourself.