moogoocows: Have a good week-end everyone who reads our twitter, all 2 of you. It has been a good fun week.
What is MooGoo?
Cows Don't Need Gimmicks. They Want Healthy Udders!
MooGoo was first made when the founder adapted a cream used in dairy farms to help a family member with a skin problem. The dairy version of "udder cream" was designed to heal the cow's udders and keep them in good condition for milking. It was full of skin repair ingredients and no gimmicks. Cows don't care too much about the latest fad in skin care, or even "Organic blends of Horsetail and Bergamot..." They do need healthy skin on their most valuable assets.
Although the original cream used in the dairy farms was legendary for its skin healing properties, it was thick and greasy. MooGoo modified the cream for human use by keeping all the skin healing properties but making it non-greasy.
Friends and neighbours started using the creams. It is amazing just how many people came out of the woodwork that had either very sensitive skin, or some sort of problem for which "nothing works". 
Since then, many other products have been added for people with sensitive skin and scalps and MooGoo was born.
Everyone is different. But to see how many people with skin problems that MooGoo has helped click on "We got Mail".
Every product we have was made for our own use or for friends or family. We add the full concentration of ingredients we know are needed to help the skin or the scalp. MooGoo does not use gimmick ingredients and marketing, or cheap filling ingredients.
Are Skin Problems More Common Now?
Almost half the population of Australia is now affected by some sort of skin problem. (1999 survey, St Vincent's Hospital). The number of people with eczema has doubled every decade since petroleum based detergents became commonly used for washing and Paraffin Oil (also petroleum based) became the dominant oil used in skin care.
Why We Don't Use Paraffin Oil in Skin Care
The cheapest way to make a moisturising cream is to use Paraffin Oil, also called Mineral Oil, which is derived from petroleum.
Most pharmacy creams use this oil, and add very small amounts of other ingredients for their label. This makes a very inexpensive cream, but not necessarily a product that is good for the skin.
The link between poorly refined mineral oil (Paraffin Oil) and health problems such as eczema is well documented in various peer reviewed studies. For more info click here for a study done by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
The following study found that "Analyses of mineral oils used for medicinal and cosmetic purposes reveal the presence of several carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons." Click here for link to the full report.
A cream routinely given to children with eczema may actually cause them more harm than good. A survey of 100 British children treated with aqueous cream (Paraffin Oil and Water) has found it irritated over half of them. Their symptoms ranged from redness and itchiness to burning and stinging, which risk making their condition worse. Writing in The Pharmaceutical Journal, the researchers urged patients and clinicians to be aware of the problem. Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3244814.stm
Note: Paraffin Oil is also used to make Sorbolene, Baby Oil, Bath Oil (some brands), Washing Creams. and many Eczema Creams.
MooGoo does not use Mineral Oil in any of its products and all our ingredients are listed, not only "Active" ingredients. We suggest checking your skin care products to see how many use Paraffin Oil. You may be surprised.
Why do Many Washing Products Irritate? Even those labeled "For Sensitive Skin" or Eczema ?
Why do we see Sodium Laureth Sulphate in almost all commercial washing products, despite its high skin irritation score? This includes most pharmacy products labeled for 'Sensitive Skin' or Eczema. The answer is it is the cheapest, and it can be warehoused for years. Just add water and salt (to thicken), design a nice label, and voilla! A cheap, creamy shampoo or body wash. For people with sensitive skin, much more gentle cleansers could be used. In fact, there are cleansers like ours that don't irritate the skin any more than water. They only cost a few cents more per wash. They are natural too, Capric Glucoside is made from Glucose, not petroleum. Being natural, they are slightly harder to formulate and cannot be kept in storage for years like petroleum ingredients and this is why its "too hard" and too expensive for massproduced brands.
There is also some concern over the safety of Sodium Laureth Sulfate as some sources say that it is a potential carcinogen due to the fact that it can undergo nitrosation to form cancerous nitrosamines. However this has not been clinically proven. When we made our products for our own family's use, we used the mildest cleansers we could find anywhere. It has been amazing what a difference this has made to everyone's skin here at MooGoo.
What does "Dermatologically Tested" or "Approved by Dermatologists" mean?
"Claims such as 'dermatologically tested' or 'dermatologist approved' - found on many cosmetics, toiletries and some washing powders - are confusing and potentially misleading according to a UK Consumer Association. These 'derma' claims imply that a product has reached a certain level of safety or effectiveness. But there are no standard industry-wide definitions setting out how a product must be tested, and the results it needs to achieve." (WHICH -UK Consumer Association).
Campaign For Accurate Ingredient Labelling.
There are many very good products available for those that do their research. However, there are also many poor quality products disguised by nice packaging and ingredient listing loopholes. The information below is part of a campaign to help people become more aware of how little of a products real ingredients need to be shown on the label. For people trying to avoid certain ingredients, it can be very difficult. If you don't have time to learn about this now, our products can be found by clicking the buttons at the top left of the page.
What to Look for When You See "Active Ingredients".
Do you know what your toothpaste is made from?
Why can't we see all the ingredients on the label?
Most toothpaste is made up of detergents including SLS, Titanium Dioxide (harmless), flavours, colours etc,along with the Fluoride. But we won't see this on the label and there is no requirement for them to show us. It is the same with skin care. This can disguise the bulk of the product's ingredients. An example is below such as the example below.
Example: Vitamin E Cream.
Active Ingredients: Vitamin E 10 mg/g. Urea 5mg/G. Honey 5/mg/g.
Most people would assume that a cream such as this is primarily made from Vitamin E, Urea and Honey. However this is not the case. In fact, this cream is only 1% Vitamin E and even less Urea and Honey (Half of One Percent). Each mg is 1/1000 of a gram. Who knows what the rest of the product is made from? It does not have to be disclosed. Many people do not understand when buying products such as this, they are mostly buying Paraffin Oil and Water which usually makes up the bulk of the product. We believe people have a right to know all the ingredients in all of their products so they can make informed choices. This is what we do with our own products.
Want Some Pesticide To Soothe Your Scalp?
We encourage anyone using so-called "scalp care" products to do some research on the products' main active ingredient called Zinc Pyrithione. There are Government warning for workers using this ingredient as the active ingredient in anti-fouling boat paints and pesticides, yet it is also the active in many "Scalp Care" shampoos. The following is from the U.S Environmental Protection Agency:
Areas of concern (for zinc pyrithione) include potential dermal and inhalation exposure risks during residential application of antifoulant boat paints and application of house paints which contain zinc pyrithione as an in-can preservative. Another concern involves potential occupational dermal and inhalation exposure risks to those who regularly work with the chemical. Full Report Here
There are alternatives to Zinc Pyrithione that are safe and non-irritating. They cost a little more, but what is an extra 10 cents per hair wash compared to using the active of a pesticide which can be risky for workers using it?
Natural Scare-Mongering. We don't claim that everything not natural is dangerous. Sometimes science can concentrate the beneficial effects from natural ingredients. And we use those ingredients ourselves. However, we do feel that some skin care products use poor quality ingredients because they are cheap and easy to manufacture in large quantities. The real ingredients are often disguised by a long list of token "natural" ingredients placed at the start and end of the label. This is called "Greenwashing".
Using the internet, virtually everything can be found to "cause cancer" or cause harm without any proper research shown in support. Every claim such as "Ingredient - Linked to Cancer" should reference at least one proper unbiased scientific study. One way to find legitimate studies is to use www.scholar.google.com.
Sick of Skin Care Products that don't work? Visit our 'We got Mail Page" here to see what others have said.
"Faux Organic"
"My shampoo ingredients look more like salad..."
Water is a "Certified Organic" ingredient under most schemes. If 75% of the formulation is water, then a "Certified Organic" product is achieved before any other ingredients are even added. Organically grown ingredients are a very small percentage of the total formulation and not enough to make a difference, except to price. Recent surveys have found only a few products have genuine independent organic accreditation.
Washing products need something that cleans and foams. Organic extracts don't perform that function, so the label can be very misleading if it looks more like a salad then a shampoo.
There are some very good organic products, but we urge people to research before taking the label on face value. Many "organic" products are little more than re-branded supermarket formulas with a new label and new price.
Who Checks the Accuracy of Labels?
Although label guidelines state that ingredients should be listed in order of weight, this is not well enforced in Australia. Most most people do not realize that the cosmetic industry does not have inspectors checking the accuracy of ingredient listed. With a little knowledge of how skin care products are made, it is very easy to see which products do not accurately show their real ingredients in order of concentration.
Below are typical examples of products whose main ingredients are submerged beneath organic ingredients with the aim of appearing more "natural".
Anonymous "Organic" Shampoo.
The following is a popular "Certified Organic Shampoo". A typical shampoo using this formula would require the following as the major ingredients: Water, Olefin Sulphonate (petroleum based cleanser), Cocamidoproyl Betaine (Coconut based cleanser)...... However this shampoo lists the following:
Ingredients: Organic Lavender Water, Organic Herbal Extracts (Calendula, Chamomile, Ginkgo,Bladderwrack, Horsetail, Nettle, Red Clover, Rosemary, Sage, Yarrow), Olefin Sulphonate, Cocoamidopropyl Betaine, Hydrolized Soy Protein, Panthenol, Tocophyeryl , Sodium Chloride , Essential Oils (Lavender, Mandarin, Peppermint, Rosemary), Citric Acid [Vitamin C], Tea Tree Oil Blend.
How to Spot Missing Ingredients.
If the ingredients start off reading like a medieval love potion, chances are the real ingredients are submerged somewhere in the middle. In creams, oils should be the second largest ingredient after water. In washing products, the cleaning ingredients (surfactants). - When water and natural edible oils are combined in skin care products, ingredients are needed to keep them fresh. If there are no preservation ingredients shown on the label, then the product will become contaminated wth bacteria very quickly, just like any food. The bacteria cannot be seen or smelt. A poorly preserved cream can cause serious skin infection and eye damage if used on the face. Grapefruit Seed Extract and Essential Oils have been proven many times to be unreliable methods of keeping products free from bacteria.
In our opinion, a tiny amount of an effective preservative is much safer on the skin than a large amount of bacteria.
Note: MooGoo creams have been independently tested to ensure they remain pure and uncontaminated for at least two years. when stored below 30 Degrees Celsius.This is a called a "Challenge Test. It is not a compulsory test in Australia.
Natural Ingredients and Allergies - Patch Test Your Products!
Many people are allergic to fruits, nuts, milk and other natural ingredients. Virtually nobody is allergic to Cola. This does not mean that Cola is good for our health and fruit is bad. The reason is that our bodies have not had the time to develop the wrong immune response (develop an allergy) to synthetic ingredients.
If you are prone to allergies, patch test all natural products on a small area of skin first. Once this is done, natural products like ours are generally much better for our health.
Does High Price = Quality
"I Simply Won't Buy a Cream For Less Than $80" : It is tempting to believe that when spending more on skincare products, we are taking "better care" of our skin.
To some extent this is true. There are many cheap creams that are of very poor quality. However, there is also a marketing strategy of pricing creams expensively for no reason other than to increase sales to the high end market. Most people are not cosmetic chemists, and so really do not know what the ingredients are, and so will pay more in the hope it is better.
For example a "restoration" cream priced at $US155.00 for 50ml (yes - we find that hard to believe as well! ). The major ingredients are :Water, Squalene, Glycerin (present in natural soap), Glyceryl Stearate (emollient), Avocado Oil (good and relatively cheap), Cyclomethicone (helps the feel of the cream) and Petrolatum (petroleum biproduct). Other ingredients are in minor quantities. This cream is around 75% water and not terribly expensive to make. However, if people want to spend that much, there will be plenty of companies happy to take the money. And the packaging is gorgeous.
The ingredients in our creams are some of the most expensive available, and we use them in high concentrations. However, we are still able to cover costs while keeping the price affordable for everyday use.
How To Try MooGoo
We usually post items within a day of receivng the order.
Austalia: We post orders for $6.90 anywhere in Australia using Australia Post.
New Zealand: We send MooGoo across the ditch by Australia Post Airmail for $9.90
Other Countries: We send via airmal to most countries and it arrives with 5-10 days. Like our Australian and New Zelaand customers, we help meet the cost of the shipping. We use a low flat rate, with a small surcharge for our MIlk Shampoo, Cream Conditioner and Milk Wash due to the weight of these items for airmail.
Payment can be done via credit card, Paypal, or direct deposit using internet banking.
Feel free to email us if you have any questions.
Visit the "We Got Mail" page to hear from others who have tried MooGoo.
