Our Ingredients & Formulas

We like to have a lot of fun here at Woohoo Body, but there are a few things we take very seriously and our ingredients top that list!

Woohoo Body's Australian deodorants, skincare and hair care are made using natural and organic ingredients, mostly from plant and mineral sources (but no mineral oils!), with a focus on effectiveness, safety, and being environmentally aware.

Every ingredient in our creations is there to do a job.

The Woohoo style of natural skincare and personal care products is a bit different to other brands out there. We don't just choose ingredients because they're natural or organic and are good for you. We take it a few steps beyond that.

Each and every Woohoo Body formula is developed in-house by our co-founder and cosmetic chemist, Aaron, who has a (healthy) obsession with Australia's native ingredients and creating unique products that are effective and gentle.

And because all of our research and development happens at Woohoo HQ, we can revise and fine-tune our new formulas as many times as needed, to make sure they do what they're meant to do.

How we choose our ingredients (and our Conscious Chemistry approach to formulating)

To start with, each of our ingredients is selected for the job it does in the formula, whether that's caring for your skin and hair or, in the case of our deodorants, tackling body odour.

But that is just the beginning. We then get stuck into what we like to call "Conscious Chemistry".

Each potential Woohoo Body ingredient is then checked to make sure it is:

• Chosen for the job it does, not how it looks on a label
• Checked for safety*
• Chosen with sensitive skin in mind
• Mostly natural or naturally derived, with a small, choosy group of nature-identical and biotech ingredients (read more on this below 👇)
• Vegan and cruelty free, and chosen with sustainability in mind

Next, we get deeper into the Conscious Chemistry of formulating Woohoo products. This is where it gets really good.

It's science-y and complicated, but what it boils down to is that we look at how ingredients work not just by themselves, but together with each other.

Our products aren't like rock bands with a front man who gets all the attention. Oh no.

We like to think of our products as choirs where each and every ingredient has a role to play in creating the most beautiful harmony you could imagine. Corny, but true.

We never choose an ingredient just because it would make our label look impressive. We include each active at a level chosen to do its job, while keeping sensitive skin in mind.

Transparent labelling

We use the internationally recognised International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) standard for ingredients. This means you can see exactly what we've put in each product. All ingredients are clearly marked on product labels and are listed in descending order of inclusion. This allows you to make an informed choice about your skincare products.

We list every ingredient we add, in full, on our labels and on our product pages. No secrets here! And if you ever have a question about an ingredient, just ask.

A note about organic skincare

You've probably guessed by now that we're all about transparency. We don't believe in secrets, or greenwashing (i.e. when a brand makes you think they're organic but they're not!). So on that note we want to make sure that you understand that Woohoo Body is not certified organic as a brand.

We use organic ingredients in our formulas, but the products themselves haven't been certified as organic. This is mostly because organic certifications place limitations on our formulas that would mean we can't use many of the active ingredients that make our products so special (remember even if an ingredient is not approved by organic bodies, it doesn't mean it isn't safe).

Plus, organic certifications would add extra expenses which would interfere with us keeping our Woohoo Body range as affordable as possible.

Natural, naturally derived, nature identical or biotech? What "natural" means to us

Mother Nature has done a marvellous job of creating so many brilliant ingredients for us, and most of what goes into our formulas comes from nature: plants, oils, extracts and minerals. But with so many advances in ingredients lately, it's fair to ask what natural skincare really means, and where the line sits between natural and synthetic.

Here at Woohoo HQ we've developed our own definition that we like to go by, and we use it as part of the guidelines for which ingredients go into our magic potions.

In an organic nutshell, here's what you can expect to find in our creations:

1. We MOSTLY use natural ingredients, in their natural state or as close to it as we can. Together with naturally derived ingredients, these make up most of each formula.
2. We use SOME naturally derived ingredients. They start out natural and are modified using natural processes, so they can do a job they can't do on their own. Emulsifiers, which let oil and water mix, are the classic example.
3. We use a SMALL, choosy group of nature-identical ingredients. They're made in a lab as an exact copy of a molecule nature makes. Some are found in nature only in tiny amounts, so getting enough out of plants isn't practical, and making them in a lab ensures high purity, stability and a consistent supply. Most vitamin C tablets contain L-ascorbic acid made this way.
4. We also use some biotech ingredients. These are made by living things, usually tiny microbes fermenting. All the hyaluronic acid we use is made this way. In the industry, biotech ingredients are regarded as natural, because they start from natural resources and are made by a process accepted as natural.

We also use a very small number of ingredients made by a synthetic process. For example, the ethylhexylglycerin in our Armpit Detox Mask starts out as plant glycerin, but the way it's made is classed as synthetic. It helps keep the mask well preserved.

It's all about formulating products that balance effectiveness, safety, affordability and environmental responsibility. We use natural where nature does it best, and go for nature-identical or biotech where they make a real difference to the formula.

On most of our skincare product pages you'll see a line like "95% naturally derived (+5% nature identical)". The first figure covers our natural, naturally derived and biotech ingredients together. The figure in brackets is the nature-identical share.

Want the full story, with real examples from our own formulas? Read Natural, nature-identical or biotech? Here's the difference.

Safety first (but no animal testing)

Our very first priority when it comes to creating beautiful products for you is your health and safety. We live and breathe (and dream) this stuff so you don't have to worry about it. Each and every Woohoo ingredient is carefully researched before it goes anywhere near a formula.

We make sure that NOTHING is tested on animals. Aaron and Phoebe are the first to test everything we make, and every ingredient is checked for safety* before we use it. If any ingredient has a question mark next to it, we won't use it.

Where can I find the ingredients list for my fave product?

To view the complete ingredients list of any product visit the page for the product and scroll down to click on the 'Ingredients' tab. If you have any questions about the ingredients used in any of our products, please don't hesitate to contact us. We're ready and waiting for you :)

* We check all ingredients for safety, consulting the EU Scientific Committee on Consumer Products (SCCP), the ASEAN Cosmetic Scientific Body, The Australian Poison Schedule and consumer websites like EWG.