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The
Nuele
Standard

NUELE Hair Serum aims to set a new standard in the clean beauty industry.

All natural ingredients

Our blend of 5 truly natural ingredients take the effort out of managing your hair throughout the day by combining deep moisturization with heat protection: designed for women to know what they’re using and feel as good as they look. But we have pretty high standards for how we do that.

We’re committed to using only the finest ingredients - sourced ethically from female farmers already tending these plants. We strive to lift economies around these farmers, while providing our end customer the best experience.

MORE THAN JUST AN INGREDIENT

Our ingredients are hand picked, and have been selected for our formulation through rigorous testing that proved to us what each ingredient brings to the table. We will never dilute, nor add unnecessary ingredients or additives to a product - NUELE stands behind an entirely clean, entirely natural, non-synthetic product. 

Products That Work For Everyone

You shouldn’t have to stock your bathroom shelf with 12 different products - and you shouldn’t have to stress about how they interact with your hair. All you should need to know is that it works for you. That’s why we, at NUELE, spent more than four years fine tuning and perfecting our product. We are committed to always ensuring we uphold this gold standard, so you will always know you can turn to us.  

Confidence in the Product

Here at NUELE, we strive to create clean products that perform just as well as - if not better than - those ultra expensive beauty products. This is why we do not sacrifice on ingredient quality by using synthetics or diluting our product with water. Our product is always, and always has been, made up of the highest quality ingredients, that are sourced from economies we’re looking to help rise.

Hair Health is Physical Health

If you’ve looked through our website, or have heard us speak, you’ll know that we always say that hair health is physical health. And that’s because it’s true. Your scalp absorbs the products that you put on it - and that includes the toxins and nasty, health-damaging chemicals. That’s why we’re dedicated to offering an effective product, without the risk - and with NUELE, you can trust that the ingredients sinking into your scalp, coating your hair and penetrating the follicle are not only of the highest quality but also carry important health benefits of a superfood to promote a healthy life and provide your scalp with the proper nutrients for it to thrive.

It Takes a Village

We, at NUELE, are proud of our product, and from our farmers to our packaging company and to the loyal customers who purchase from us - we are always here to be a friend. 

When our co-founders, Anne and Dr Christine, started this company, it was truly born out of passion and a lot of love for the individuality that a person’s hair can give them - and so they wanted their own personalities to drive the choices they made. So, from sourcing from female farmers in Ghana and Morocco to charitable campaigns NUELE stands behind, we look to benefit everybody - because to build a product as effective and clean as ours, well...it takes a village!

CLEAN HAIR CARE STANDARD

Our Definition of Clean Haircare

“Authenticity in formulation with clean ingredients that do not impart negative short or long term health effects on consumers”

Hair is an integral part of an individual’s sense of well-being, and the hair industry cannot continue to trivialize how important this is and disregard the negative impacts that the industry has had on health in general, and women’s health in particular. In the hair world, there are several ingredients that have become the industry taboo.  Alcohols, parabens, sulfates, dyes, phthalates, and fragrances to name a few. In fact, most people who are seeking clean hair care products, will usually check to see if the product contains any of these ingredients.  If the culprits are not included or clearly delineated, then in many instances the product will wind up in the cart. 

“At NUELE, we seek authenticity when we address the concept of clean. Part of our strategy as we develop clean products to alleviate various hair related issues, is to intentionally design and formulate products using ingredients that do not compromise your long term health.”

Why The Beauty Industry Needs A Clean Standard For Haircare

“A platform that supports clean hair care products is not only essential but critical for the sustainability of the hair industry. ”

Organizations like EWG and MADE SAFE hold authenticity in safe product ingredients to high standard. Due to the rapid response to meet consumer desire in styling products, the hair care industry has not always held in high regard the potential long term health impacts that result from exposure to problematic ingredients such as phthalates.  

As consumers become more educated about their health and desire clean products, the logical progression would be for the hair industry to shift towards providing healthy options for consumers.  A clean beauty standard for hair products is essential because consumers should be able to better identify hair care products that are healthy for their bodies. This adaptation can be guided by a clean hair industry standard which supports a concerted pivot towards a healthy hair industry.

Thus, consumers have become very suspicious of hair care manufacturers, and are unclear on what to expect when they purchase hair care products, and state that they are usually disappointed when they find that the product description does not fully align with their perceived value.  Taken together, these factors have brought the ethics of the hair care industry into question, and we need to bring more clarity to consumers through a clean hair industry initiative. 

“Authenticity in the clean hair industry will rebuild consumer confidence in product ingredients, product formulation, functionality claims, and positive health impacts.”

Hair care products with many ingredients have been found to be destructive to hair, hair follicles, scalp, thyroid, endocrine systems, cell integrity, organ health, and metabolism.  This industry, like the cosmetic industry is not stringently regulated, and thus has attracted many products which do not always support effective human health.  It has been noted, for example, that paraben preservatives are found in nearly 90% of hair care products (para-hydroxylbenzene, methyl paraben, ethyl paraben, propyl paraben etc.) and these are known endocrine disruptors which impact estrogen metabolism.

“Women have been using products with parabens for decades, and unfortunately it’s only after a long and sustained exposure to low levels of ingredients such as these that people start to exhibit diseases such as breast cancer, inflammation on the scalp, alopecia, dermatitis etc.”

Ambiguity in the Definitions of Natural and Organic Beauty Products

Simply put, the FDA has no clear definition for natural, organic, and clean in the beauty industry.

If one is seeking a 100% organic hair product that meets the same criteria as organic food defined by the US Department of Agriculture, then the ingredients need to have been grown without synthetic fertilizers, synthetic pesticides, and should not be from genetically modified organisms. 

Products that are deemed 100% natural, should only have ingredients obtained from plant extracts or animal sources.

Any other definition of organic or natural should outside of those listed, should be clarified by the manufacturer of the product.

Products that are deemed 100% natural, have ingredients that are only obtained from plant extracts or animal sources. Sometimes consumers assume that a natural product is also organic but this is not always the case, as described below. In addition, a natural product may be obtained from plants that were derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs). There is a product category for “100% natural and non-GMO” which indicates that the product ingredients were from plants that have not been modified genetically.

If one is seeking a 100% organic hair product that meets the same criteria as organic food as defined by the US Department of Agriculture, then the ingredients need to have been grown without synthetic fertilizers, synthetic pesticides, and should not be from genetically modified organisms. 

Organic products are generally described as being free of pesticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizers. For example, you can have a 100% natural coconut oil, but it may not be organic because the coconut palm was sprayed with synthetic pesticides. 

Something to note here is that an organic product may have synthetic ingredients as well but because it does not have the synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers it can make the claim for organic. There are definitions of organic products in the market that embrace synthetic ingredients provided they do not exhibit known toxicities.  

In other instances, organic hair care products have been defined as “products that help hair grow and minimize scalp irritation”. In all these instances the definition of organic can be very confusing to a consumer, therefore driving the need to define what an organic hair care product really entails.

OUR DEFINITION OF CLEAN HAIRCARE

“Authenticity in formulation with clean ingredients that do not impart negative short or long term health effects on consumers”

Hair is an integral part of an individual’s sense of well-being, and the hair industry cannot continue to trivialize how important this is and disregard the negative impacts that the industry has had on health in general, and women’s health in particular. In the hair world, there are several ingredients that have become the industry taboo.  Alcohols, parabens, sulfates, dyes, phthalates, and fragrances to name a few. In fact, most people who are seeking clean hair care products, will usually check to see if the product contains any of these ingredients.  If the culprits are not included or clearly delineated, then in many instances the product will wind up in the cart. 

“At NUELE, we seek authenticity when we address the concept of clean. Part of our strategy as we develop clean products to alleviate various hair related issues, is to intentionally design and formulate products using ingredients that do not compromise your long term health.”

Why The Beauty Industry Needs A Clean Standard For Haircare

“A platform that supports clean hair care products is not only essential but critical for the sustainability of the hair industry. ”

Organizations like EWG and MADE SAFE hold authenticity in safe product ingredients to high standard. Due to the rapid response to meet consumer desire in styling products, the hair care industry has not always held in high regard the potential long term health impacts that result from exposure to problematic ingredients such as phthalates.  

As consumers become more educated about their health and desire clean products, the logical progression would be for the hair industry to shift towards providing healthy options for consumers.  A clean beauty standard for hair products is essential because consumers should be able to better identify hair care products that are healthy for their bodies. This adaptation can be guided by a clean hair industry standard which supports a concerted pivot towards a healthy hair industry.

Thus, consumers have become very suspicious of hair care manufacturers, and are unclear on what to expect when they purchase hair care products, and state that they are usually disappointed when they find that the product description does not fully align with their perceived value.  Taken together, these factors have brought the ethics of the hair care industry into question, and we need to bring more clarity to consumers through a clean hair industry initiative. 

“Authenticity in the clean hair industry will rebuild consumer confidence in product ingredients, product formulation, functionality claims, and positive health impacts.”

Hair care products with many ingredients have been found to be destructive to hair, hair follicles, scalp, thyroid, endocrine systems, cell integrity, organ health, and metabolism. This industry, like the cosmetic industry is not stringently regulated, and thus has attracted many products which do not always support effective human health. It has been noted, for example, that paraben preservatives are found in nearly 90% of hair care products (para-hydroxylbenzene, methyl paraben, ethyl paraben, propyl paraben etc.) and these are known endocrine disruptors which impact estrogen metabolism.

“Women have been using products with parabens for decades, and unfortunately it’s only after a long and sustained exposure to low levels of ingredients such as these that people start to exhibit diseases such as breast cancer, inflammation on the scalp, alopecia, dermatitis etc.”

Ambiguity in the Definitions of Natural and Organic Beauty Products

Simply put, the FDA has no clear definition for natural, organic, and clean in the beauty industry.

If one is seeking a 100% organic hair product that meets the same criteria as organic food defined by the US Department of Agriculture, then the ingredients need to have been grown without synthetic fertilizers, synthetic pesticides, and should not be from genetically modified organisms. 

Products that are deemed 100% natural, should only have ingredients obtained from plant extracts or animal sources.

Any other definition of organic or natural should outside of those listed, should be clarified by the manufacturer of the product.

Products that are deemed 100% natural, have ingredients that are only obtained from plant extracts or animal sources. Sometimes consumers assume that a natural product is also organic but this is not always the case, as described below. In addition, a natural product may be obtained from plants that were derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs). There is a product category for “100% natural and non-GMO” which indicates that the product ingredients were from plants that have not been modified genetically.

If one is seeking a 100% organic hair product that meets the same criteria as organic food as defined by the US Department of Agriculture, then the ingredients need to have been grown without synthetic fertilizers, synthetic pesticides, and should not be from genetically modified organisms. 

Organic products are generally described as being free of pesticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizers. For example, you can have a 100% natural coconut oil, but it may not be organic because the coconut palm was sprayed with synthetic pesticides. 

Something to note here is that an organic product may have synthetic ingredients as well but because it does not have the synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers it can make the claim for organic. There are definitions of organic products in the market that embrace synthetic ingredients provided they do not exhibit known toxicities.  

In other instances, organic hair care products have been defined as “products that help hair grow and minimize scalp irritation”. In all these instances the definition of organic can be very confusing to a consumer, therefore driving the need to define what an organic hair care product really entails.

OUR ULTRA CLEAN HAIR CARE STANDARD

Ultra Clean Haircare Standards are in addition to our Clean Haircare Standards.

100% Natural and Organic Products

Promote  and enhance the manufacture of 100% natural products that do not contain any synthetic ingredients.   The quest for fully natural and fully organic (per USDA definition) may require that there be two levels of standards, where the description can be organic or 100% organic.

Absolutely No Added Fragrances 

Synthetic fragrances contain several chemical compounds which can produce byproducts such as formaldehyde which is a known carcinogen.  

“Many of the solvents used to enhance fragrance production elicit allergic reactions in individuals. The use of natural florals and essential oils to attain fragrance is acceptable.  One thing to note is that the extracts when noted as 100% organic and natural should not have solvents like hexane as contaminants. ”

No Synthetic Dyes

The addition of synthetic dyes leads to inflammation, bioaccumulation in various organs such as the skin, liver, adipose tissue, and brain, and may also cause significant hair breakage and hair loss.  Organic dyes are not always natural.  

“The process of adding dyes to hair includes the use of non-organic ingredients so the key is utilizing natural plant-based dyes that have been certified organic by the FDA in a manner that does not introduce toxicity.”

No Toxic Natural Ingredients

There are nearly 1400 different natural organisms that can be used to make personal care products, based on the given intrinsic ingredient properties and the desired effect. A key resource for identifying toxic ingredients is the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) which has done a good job of classifying natural plants and identifying toxic natural ingredients that producers need to steer clear from.

“There should be no addition of natural ingredients that are known toxicants, nor the use of safe natural products at concentrations that would be are considered toxic.”

Formulation With Function in Mind

We cannot dictate what the maximum number of ingredients in a product should be because the flexibility required to achieve functionality in a product is driven by the ability to arrive at the desired effect.  

“Certainly, the creativity of the formulation chemist must come into play, however inclusion of a bolus of micro-ingredients for ornamental purposes to thwart the efforts of product mimics is not found to be beneficial to the consumer.”

SAFE & UNSAFE INGREDIENT LIST

List of Ingredient Types or Classifications That Are Allowed

In general, the following categories of product are known to be beneficial but the list is in no way exhaustive. All ingredients should be cross checked for toxicity or adverse effects with the INCI.

  • Natural Oils (Coconut, Moringa, Argan)
  • Natural Extracts (yarrow)
  • Natural plant butters (Shea)
  • Natural aqueous extracts (Aloe)
  • Essential oils (Rosemary)
  • Fruit extracts (Avocado)Vegetable extracts (carrot)
  • Animal extract (albumin or beeswax)
  • Micro-organism extracts
  • Seaweed
  • Vitamins (Vitamin E)
  • Minerals extracted from plants (Zinc or Iron)
  • Proteins extracted from plants

Appropriate use of natural ingredients in formulations - There are natural and organic essential oils, that if used at higher than prescribed concentrations (> 4% for body and skin) can cause irritation.  Usually essential oils are used at ~ 2% because they are very concentrated when extracted from plants.

List of Ingredients That Are NOT Allowed

As noted earlier, the INCI has a broad list of bad ingredients that should be included in hair care products. Some examples are provided below. Note that this is not an exhaustive list.

Formaldehyde (carcinogen) is produced as a side product from quaternium-15 in shampoo.  You may not see formaldehyde written on the bottle, but it results from degradation of the quat.

Alcohol (solvent/drying agent), is used as a solvent, however it dries hair and makes it brittle.  However, not all alcohols are bad for example Cetearyl Alcohol and Stearyl Alcohol are acceptable additions to a product but the concentrations per the manufacturer’s need to be noted when preparing hair care products.

Diethanolamine/Triethanolamine (DEA/TEA) cause foaming in a shampoo, but it has been a direct link between DEA and cancer.

Synthetic Fragrances have been shown to have endocrine disrupters that are linked to breast cancer,  some of the chemicals in them trigger asthma, they can transfer to infants through breast milk, can cause skin irritant, and lead to hair loss.

Parabens – As noted previously, parabens are a potent and effective preservative, but they are endocrine disruptors and mimic estrogen.  They have been linked to breast cancer.

Sulfates—Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is thought to be a potential mutagen and has been shown to cause allergies, scalp itching, and they really dry hair, by removing all the natural oils from the hair and scalp.

Synthetic Colors – When a product has ingredients that have colors with FD&C or D&C numbers, those are synthetic colors that are regulated by the FDA.  They are typically derived from petroleum or coal tar, and are linked to cancers and allergic reactions, and have been banned in many European countries.

Phthalates – Common phthalates are dibutylphthalate, dimethylphthalate, or diethylphthalate. They are used as solvents in shampoos, dyes, and hair sprays.  They were designed to impart flexibility to plastic (plasticizers) but started being used for hair care products. They are very toxic to the human body and can cause severe contact dermatitis for stylists due to repeated exposure as well as respiratory inflammation from hair sprays.

Other compounds that are on our dirty list are: Phenoxyethanol, propylene glycol, Polyethylene Glycols, Petrolatum, Butylated hydroxy anisole or Butylated hydroxytoluene, EDTA, PVP, PVC, Triclosan, Bisphenol A (BPA).