Founded in 2013, Soleil Toujours emerged in the skincare industry with a goal of creating a luxurious sun protection line. The brand’s founders, Valerie McMurray and William Hartley, aimed to inspire consumers to protect their skin daily by integrating the best possible SPF products into their beauty regime. The approach was simple, combine advanced sun science with natural anti-aging ingredients to create products that are as effective as they are enjoyable to use.
Soleil Toujours positions itself as a “clean, conscious, and committed” brand. They use organic ingredients, are cruelty-free, and proclaim to be vegan. However, are their claims honest? This article aims to delve into the brand’s claims and investigate the degree of their commitment.
It’s essential to first understand what being a clean brand entails. This will provide a clear framework to comprehensively analyze Soleil Toujours’ claims and compare them with other cruelty-free brands.
Understanding the Concept of a Clean Brand
In the beauty industry, the term “clean” often refers to products that do not contain ingredients known or suspected to harm human health. These can include endocrine disruptors, carcinogens, and ingredients linked to organ toxicity. However, the term is not universally defined or regulated, which often leads to ambiguity and misuse.
Clean brands strive to be transparent about their ingredients, use environmentally-friendly packaging, and have ethical sourcing and manufacturing practices. The products are typically cruelty-free and often vegan, meaning they do not test on animals and do not use animal-derived ingredients, respectively.
To evaluate whether Soleil Toujours lives up to their claim of being a clean brand, let’s first assess their cruelty-free standing.
Soleil Toujours’ Cruelty-Free Claim – An Overview
Soleil Toujours states that they are a cruelty-free brand, meaning their products and ingredients have not been tested on animals. On their website, they pledge not to test on animals during any phase of product development, and they don’t allow their suppliers to conduct animal testing either. This is a crucial commitment to ethical practices in the beauty industry.
However, Soleil Toujours is not currently certified by recognized international cruelty-free organizations such as Leaping Bunny or PETA. Certification from such bodies would provide added assurance to consumers on the brand’s cruelty-free status.
While the absence of these certifications does not imply that Soleil Toujours is not cruelty-free, it is worth noting that self-declared claims require a degree of consumer trust and faith in the brand’s integrity.
Investigating Soleil Toujours’ Vegan Claims
Alongside being cruelty-free, Soleil Toujours also claims to be a vegan brand. A beauty product is classified as vegan if it does not contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products. This includes ingredients such as honey, lanolin, collagen, and many others.
A thorough look at the ingredients list of Soleil Toujours’ products reveals that they do not contain any obvious animal-derived ingredients. However, like their cruelty-free claim, Soleil Toujours is not certified vegan by any recognized vegan organization.
Again, this does not suggest that their products aren’t vegan, but obtaining certification from bodies like Vegan Action or The Vegan Society would offer further reassurance to customers.
Analysis of Soleil Toujours’ Ingredient List
Soleil Toujours asserts they use natural and organic ingredients. Their products contain a rich blend of antioxidants, botanicals, and essential oils, all known for their skin benefits. Furthermore, they pledge to avoid harmful and synthetic chemicals.
However, a detailed inspection of their ingredient list indicates the presence of fragrance. The term “fragrance” is an umbrella term that can conceal a variety of synthetic, and potentially harmful, ingredients. In fairness to Soleil Toujours, they mention that they use a natural fragrance blend, but the lack of transparency can be concerning for some consumers.
On a positive note, their products are free from notorious harmful ingredients such as parabens, sulfates, phthalates, and synthetic sunscreens.
Comparing Soleil Toujours with Other Cruelty-Free Brands
When compared to other cruelty-free brands, Soleil Toujours’ commitment to clean, natural ingredients and ethical practices is commendable. Brands like Babo Botanicals and Acure are also recognized for their cruelty-free and vegan formulations.
However, unlike Soleil Toujours, both Babo Botanicals and Acure have cruelty-free certifications from PETA. Acure also carries a vegan certification from Vegan Action, providing added trust and transparency in their claims.
This comparison highlights the value of obtaining certifications from recognized bodies to further support cruelty-free and vegan claims.
Expert Opinions on Soleil Toujours’ Claims
Skincare experts and dermatologists generally appreciate the efforts of Soleil Toujours to combine sun protection with anti-aging ingredients. Dr. Patricia Wexler, a renowned dermatologist, commended the brand for its focus on creating advanced, luxurious sun protection.
However, experts also caution consumers to be aware of the ambiguities associated with terms like “clean,” “natural,” and “organic” in skincare. In the absence of stricter regulation and certification, these terms can be misleading.
Conclusion: Is Soleil Toujours a Truly Clean Brand?
Based on our analysis, it’s clear that Soleil Toujours strives to uphold its claims of being a clean, cruelty-free, and vegan brand. Their commitment to using natural and organic ingredients is evident in their product formulation.
However, the brand could strengthen its standing by obtaining certifications from recognized cruelty-free and vegan bodies. This would provide more solid validation of their cruelty-free and vegan claims, thus reinforcing consumer trust.
While they generally maintain a clean ingredient list, the inclusion of “fragrance” could raise concerns for some customers seeking complete transparency.
In conclusion, Soleil Toujours appears to be a largely clean brand, but with room for improvement in terms of certifications and ingredient transparency.
