Why The Devil is in the Details?

The Devil is in the Details was born from frustration with the personal care industry. I often bought a product after carefully reading the label only to take it home, use it, and have an allergic reaction. I read about this same cycle repeating itself with many other people who suffer from allergies and sensitivities. 

I have spent the last decade thinking about making my own personal care products that I and others could safely use. After buying one too many lip balms that set my lips on fire, I decided I had had enough and began researching how to make my own. Starting with lip balms was a no-brainer for me: they go on the face, are easily ingested, and are close to mucus membranes. 

The Devil is in the Details does a few things differently than most cosmetic or beauty companies. First, the ingredients I use in my products have been thoroughly researched and documented. 

If a product is labeled Allergen Conscious, nothing was added to transform the ingredient from its original form to the form used in the product, and no chemical processes were used to refine the ingredient or otherwise assist in the process. This attention to purity also explains why there might be minor variations in the product from batch to batch. 

If a product is labeled Allergen Conscious, no flavors or colorants will be added. Major companies add flavor or color using undisclosed ingredients or ingredients whose sources can not be traced or verified.

Another way my products are different is I do not treat any ingredient I use as incidental. The FDA defines an “incidental ingredient” as “any processing aid added and removed or converted to a declared ingredient or any ingredient of another ingredient or processing aid present at an insignificant level and having no technical or functional effect.” Example:  If a beauty company uses cyclomethicone to coat a bath bomb mold so that the bath bomb will release from the mold easier, they do not have to declare it on the ingredients list. If I were to make bath bombs and use cyclomethicone for the same reason, I would put it on the ingredients label.

Finally, I use separate equipment for each formula. Suppose I make one lip balm with beeswax, shea butter, jojoba oil, and palm kernel oil and another with beeswax, shea butter, hemp seed oil, and cocoa butter. In that case, each will have its own set of equipment to ensure that no cross-contamination by oil or wax residues occurs.

The Devil in the Details is the realization of a dream to make personal care products accessible to people like me who need ingredients chosen and combined with extra care. My mission to provide products that the most cautious person can use confidently is deeply personal, meaning I would never sell a product I wouldn’t trust to use myself. I hope you come to love the products as much as I love making them. Thank you for choosing The Devil is in the Details.