Our Philosophy

We support ‘cruelty-free’ & ‘mindful consumerism’.

All Scenturie products are ‘Cruelty-free’. We test our products on ourselves, family, friends, and willing volunteers. We NEVER test on animals and we do not use animal products. Scenturie is a proud supported of NZAVS, an amazing non-profit organisation, that defends animals used in science, and is against animal testing. We are proud to feature in their ‘Cruelty-Free Guide’.

Mindful consumerism is an important part of sustainability and is the awareness of how every purchase that we make has an impact on the environment.

Palm oil is a good example of how important mindful consumerism is. Palm oil is used extensively in the cosmetic and food industries and the global demand for it continues to rise with consumption exceeding 70 million metric tonnes annually. Palm oil has been, and continues to be, a major driver of deforestation of some of the world’s most biodiverse forests, causing mass destruction to the habitats of already endangered species, and contributing to climate change by releasing millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The haze from Indonesian forest fires, many deliberately set to clear land for oil palms, caused at least 12,000 premature deaths in 2015 alone.

Human rights abuses, such as child labour and forced evictions, have been well documented. On the Indonesian island of Sumatra, palm oil companies have sometimes bulldozed entire indigenous villages, leaving their residents homeless and reliant on government handouts.

We have chosen to avoid using palm oil in our products however cetearyl alcohol, a necessary ingredient in some of our formulations, is currently only available as a palm oil derivative. We only source this product from suppliers who hold Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Certification and are constantly on the look-out for a palm-free alternative.

The popularity of aromatherapy and natural beauty products in recent years has led to increased supply and demand for natural crops that have not been able to meet the needs of consumers. This has led to the over-exploitation of resources affecting the biodiversity of many species including essential and carrier oil-bearing plants.  Examples include the Indian Sandalwood tree, native to Southern India and Southeast Asia, the oil of which has been used for centuries for its fragrant and medicinal qualities. In recent years, over-exploitation has led to it being listed as a critically endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List. Similarly, the essential oil from the Atlas Cedarwood tree has been used extensively for its therapeutic and fragrance qualities. The tree is slow growing, taking decades or centuries to regrow, and is now also listed as an endangered species.

When a species is in imminent decline buyers look for substitutions, thus placing pressure on the new species. It is of vital importance that brands create natural products with proven sustainability in mind to preserve plant species that would otherwise be driven to extinction. We need to consume more mindfully and find a balance with what is appropriate and when to use it.

At Scenturie we thoroughly research all our ingredients to ensure they are safe, sustainable, and produced from renewable raw materials. We believe that being transparent about the ingredients we use and where they are from empowers our customers to make informed decisions about their skin care, their health, and the preservation of our environment.