Mission
Haldi Mama’s mission is to provide information and education about the safety of ingredients applied to the skin during pregnancy. This critical window of human development represents a fundamental biological shift and requires a more conscious approach to skincare. By providing more information and transparency about the safety of ingredients, women can make better-informed decisions about their health.
We look beyond clean to assess ingredients through specific lenses related to endocrine disruption, reproductive and developmental toxicity, and pregnancy contraindications. This evolving research has been diligently assembled, guided by public health principles, scientific data, and expert consultation with chemists, toxicologists, endocrinologists, physiologists, herbalists, and essential oil specialists.
Our mission is undoubtedly ambitious and challenging; however, it serves a tremendous need: finding trusted, result-driven products with preferred ingredients for pregnancy. That’s why our mission of research and education is at the backbone of Haldi Mama.
The Pregnancy Offender Research Project
This research project is the beating heart of Haldi Mama. We aim to be transparent about how we assess ingredients and make product curation decisions. Above all, this is a commitment to evolving a body of research that we can use to shine a spotlight on the importance of environmental health during pregnancy. Knowledge is power, Mama.
Our Research Methodology
AKA: HOW WE APPROACH AND ASSESS INGREDIENT SAFETY
The INCI.
We did not set out to villainize ingredients. We understand that both ingredients and formulation (chemical percentages and combinations) play a critical role in determining the safety of a finished product. However, in the absence of sitting in a lab with each brand’s chemist to ask questions about percentages and various safety tests, we must begin assessments with the INCI (The International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients, a list of standardized names for cosmetic ingredients to identify cosmetic ingredients published by the Personal Care Products Council).
Scientific sources.
We collect and interpret data from qualified scientific sources and examine regulatory consensus from government and non-governmental databases, medical boards and coalitions, epidemiological and other clinical studies (where available), and beyond. As new data becomes available, we fold those learnings into our work. The research is ongoing as we learn more from science.
Exposure matters.
We take into consideration the intended use including how it is applied, how much is being used, and for what length of time. The long-term use of a product on the face may differ from application to the body; where ingredients are applied, how long the skin has exposure (e.g. leave on vs. rinse off), and the percentage (known or estimated) all matter. For example, an ingredient in a face cream at 2% might have a different effect than a body cream at 2%.
Caution counts.
We err on the side of caution to manage risk. Ingredient innovation is happening at a rapid rate, alongside a limited pool of studies regarding pregnancy. In order to upload the highest standard, we avoid chemicals of concern and ingredients that are “on the line” with conflicting research. Pregnancy can be a time of increased sensitivity, so ingredients like fragrance may be irritating, which is accounted for by our conservation approach to curation.
Longevity lens.
We take generational health seriously. When it comes to the future of people, animals, and our planet, there are ingredients that have to be considered in regards to longevity. What is the lifecycle of this ingredient? How does this ingredient break down in the environment? How does this ingredient impact various species? We don’t always have the whole picture regarding sustainability, but it is significant to consider with ingredients like cyclic silicones and EDTA.
Brand partnership.
We go the extra mile to establish a fiduciary relationship with every brand to gain insight into product development protocols, including raw material screening and formula testing. By working together, we aim to create more awareness of formulation standards for pregnancy and beyond.
When we select a product for inclusion at Haldi Mama, it has been thoroughly vetted.
Through our work, we hope that more women feel empowered to discuss ingredient safety with their medical practitioners and engage with their community to make more informed choices about their health during pregnancy.
See our complete list of Pregnancy Offenders
(Ingredients banned from Haldi Mama) (COMING SOON)
Meet our lead researcher, Holly Moore
Holly’s journey in personal care began with her Masters in Public Health, concentrating in health law, human rights, and bioethics. She wrote her thesis on the US cosmetic industry from a regulatory, ethical, and environmental health perspective.
Since 2012, Holly has worked behind the scenes in product development, health and safety, and education for many prominent, ground-breaking brands in beauty and wellness (Follain and May Lindstrom, to name a few). At Follain, she developed the first of its kind Restricted Substances List, which paved the way for clean beauty as we know it today.
In 2018, she founded The Ingredientist as a consultancy to work with valued aligned brands and projects of fascination (like Haldi Mama). Passionate about skincare formulated for the experience of pregnancy, Holly is taking her love for ingredient research to the next level.
Guided by environmental health principles, her approach to ingredient assessment at Haldi Mama is comprehensive and thorough. Above all, Holly hopes to uplift pregnant people during a time of powerful change.
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