In the world of skincare, "small batch" is often synonymous with artistry and care. But for us, it’s more than a marketing term—it’s a non-negotiable standard of safety. It’s the direct result of our relentless, and often challenging, pursuit of one critical goal: ensuring our serums are free from Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), also known as "forever chemicals."
The reality is that creating a truly clean, high-performance serum isn't just about mixing the best ingredients. It's about a painstaking process of sourcing, testing, and validating every component that goes into the bottle. Here’s why that commitment forces us to think small.
The Hidden Complexity: Sourcing in a PFAS World
PFAS are a group of thousands of man-made chemicals used for their resistance to water, grease, and stains. They’re ubiquitous in manufacturing and packaging, and they can contaminate ingredients at almost any point in the global supply chain—often unintentionally.
Finding a vendor for, say, a specific botanical extract is one thing. Finding a vendor who can consistently supply that extract with verifiable, non-detect levels of PFAS (<10 ppm Total Organic Fluorine) is an entirely different challenge. This isn't a simple checkbox; it's a deep dive that requires:
- Ingredient Vetting: We spend countless hours researching suppliers, requesting documentation, and investigating their manufacturing processes to identify potential sources of PFAS contamination.
- The "Nondetect" Hunt: Many excellent ingredients simply aren't available in large quantities with the purity specifications we demand. A supplier might have a pristine 5kg batch one month, but cannot guarantee the same for a 500kg order. We choose quality over convenience, every time.
The Uncompromising Rigor of Third-Party Testing
Trust, but verify. This is our mantra. Even after a supplier provides a Certificate of Analysis (CoA), we invest in independent, third-party testing for Total Organic Fluorine—a key indicator of PFAS.
This process is not fast. It's not cheap. But it is essential. Each batch of every raw ingredient must pass this rigorous screening before it is approved for use. Sourcing large volumes that meet this standard is often impossible. By working in small batches, we can secure the limited quantities of "clean" ingredients available and test them thoroughly, ensuring every bottle meets our promise.
Time: The Most Precious Ingredient
This entire process is a massive investment of time:
- Time Ordering: Negotiating with suppliers who can meet our standards takes extensive communication.
- Time Sourcing: The search for a new ingredient can take months as we vet and test multiple options.
- Time Testing: Waiting for lab results adds weeks to our production timeline.
Large-scale production, which relies on fast, consistent, and voluminous supply chains, simply cannot accommodate this level of diligence. To do this right, we must move deliberately, not quickly.
Small Batch Isn't a Limitation. It's a Guarantee.
Choosing to create our serums in small batches is a direct consequence of our commitment to purity. It means:
- Uncompromised Purity: Every ingredient is vetted and tested to our strict PFAS standard. You’ll never find "forever chemicals" in our formulations.
- Peak Potency: Small batches mean we can blend our serums fresh, preserving the efficacy of powerful but sensitive actives like Vitamin C.
- Radical Transparency: We know the provenance of every ingredient in every bottle we make.
We believe you should be able to focus on the benefits of a serum—the radiance, the hydration, the clarity—without worrying about what’s hiding inside. In a complex world, the path to true simplicity and safety is often intricate and demanding.
This is the truth in every drop we craft. It’s why we are passionately, and permanently, a small-batch brand.
Explore our small-batch collection, where purity is the first ingredient.