Q: Are MyChelle Dermaceuticals skin care products non-GMO?
Licensed esthetician Catie Wiggy responds:
A. What you put on your body is just as important as what you put into your body. MyChelle Dermaceuticals has always been committed to providing non-toxic and effective skin care that is safe to both the user and the environment. That’s why we’ve been consciously creating all-natural, 100% vegetarian, gluten-free, non-GMO products since our inception. MyChelle offers products that are clean and healthy but at the same time really work and offer true visible results.
What Are GMOs?
GMOs are genetically modified organisms that have been created through gene-splicing biotechnology (also called genetic engineering, or GE). This relatively new science allows DNA from one species to be injected into another, creating combinations of plant, animal, bacteria and viral genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding. A genetically modified food is a plant or meat product that has had its DNA altered in a laboratory using genes from other plants, animals, viruses or bacteria.
According to the Non-GMO Project, more than 60 countries around the world (including Australia, Japan and all of the countries in the European Union) have significant restrictions or outright bans on the production and sale of GMOs. In contrast, the FDA in the United States has allowed a handful of GMO crops to be harvested including alfalfa, canola, corn, cotton, papaya, soy, sugar beets, zucchini and yellow summer squash.
GMO crops are genetically engineered to withstand more frequent applications of pesticides and herbicides. These toxic chemicals have been linked to bee colony devastation, soil sterility, water contamination, nearby crop contamination, food allergies and disease.
5 reasons to avoid GMOs
- Increased toxic herbicide use
- Soil and water contamination
- Natural crop contamination
- Linked to health issues and allergies
- Not adequately tested or labeled
Are GMOs in skin care products?
Many ingredients in skin care and personal care products are sourced from GMO crops. There are currently no labeling requirements for GMO ingredients or products, so it’s up to the consumer to evaluate and investigate the companies they buy from. The good news: the more natural the product, the less risk a user faces. Conventional skin care companies that use ingredients sourced from animals have a high risk of GMO contamination. MyChelle’s products are 100% vegetarian and don’t contain any animal-derived ingredients.
Our GMO risk is very low. In fact, there’s only one ingredient from our extensive catalog of powerful ingredients that has any GMO risk—alcohol. Natural, aromatic flower and fruit extracts have wonderful antioxidant and healing properties and we use many of these in our products. However, natural extracts would degrade quickly if not preserved, so they are commonly bottled with a small amount of alcohol. Here is an example of the alcohol ingredient chain that tracks the safe source:
Vitamin A Plus Serum → Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract → Alcohol→ Non-GMO Corn
MyChelle has undergone an extensive search into every ingredient’s origin to ensure that they do not come from GMO crops and is happy to report that we are, have been and will continue to be a trustworthy and reliable non-GMO skincare company.
MyChelle has always had a 100% transparency policy regarding our ingredients and will continue to be an innovative leader—pushing for the highest standards possible. Whether it’s Edelweiss from mountain tops or pumpkin from Colorado, our sourcing protocols reflect our stubborn pursuit of the highest quality and non-GMO plant extracts, plant stem cells and essences.