Sunbutter Skincare is now certified palm oil-free, the world’s first sunscreen to receive certification from the International Palm Oil Free Certification Trademark (POFCAP).
Launched in 2017, POFCAP was established to help consumers determine if a product is certified palm oil-free by ensuring it has been independently assessed.
The organisation also works with companies to remove palm oil from their products by helping them look for alternatives and research to aid reformulation.
“Consumers won’t see ‘palm oil’ listed as an ingredient on the back of a sunscreen bottle or any other product labels as palm oil is turned into thousands of palm oil derivatives, most of which do not contain the word ‘palm’ in their ingredient name,” said Bev Luff co-founder of POFCAP.
“This makes it very difficult for the consumer to know which product does or doesn’t contain palm.”
The use of palm oil is widespread, with most products in the supermarket containing it or any of its derivatives. This in turn leads to the production of more palm plantations and requires large-scale deforestation, which impacts the environment and wildlife.
The sunscreen company said it worked closely with POFCAP to eliminate palm oil from its supply chain and ensure that none of its products’ ingredients was derived from palm oil.
“At Sunbutter, we’re all about protecting people and the planet,” said co-founders Sacha Guggenheimer and Tom Hiney.
“If we include palm oil as an ingredient, we’re not protecting the planet. We wanted to make sure we live up to our ethos and mantra.”
Aside from being certified palm oil-free, Sunbutter’s sunscreen is reef-safe and free from plastic packaging.
