Our Ingredients

Thoughtfully Chosen. Carefully Crafted. Made for Everyday Living.

At Tiki Hut Life, we believe that understanding ingredients is an important part of making informed choices for yourself, your family, and your home.

From plant-based oils and rich butters to mineral clays, botanical ingredients, and practical household essentials, each ingredient has its own characteristics and purpose. We're happy to share more about the ingredients we use and the roles they can play in skincare, bath and body products, soaps, candles, and home care.

Explore our ingredient guide to learn more about these familiar ingredients and what they contribute to different formulations.

Oils

Argan Oil

Argan oil is a plant-derived oil obtained from the kernels of the argan tree. It contains fatty acids and naturally occurring vitamin E. Valued for its lightweight feel, it helps condition and soften skin, leaving it feeling smooth and supple.

Calendula-Infused Oil

Calendula-infused oil is made by steeping calendula flowers in a carrier oil. This botanical ingredient is traditionally used in skincare preparations and adds a plant-based touch to balms and other skin-conditioning products.

Castor Oil

Castor oil is a rich, versatile plant oil used in both skincare and soapmaking. Its distinctive texture makes it useful in balms and other formulations, while in soap it contributes to a creamy, stable lather.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is a versatile plant-based oil used in soaps and body care products. In soapmaking, it contributes cleansing properties and a bubbly lather. In leave-on formulations, it helps soften skin and reduce moisture loss.

Fractionated Coconut Oil

Fractionated coconut oil is a lightweight form of coconut oil that remains liquid at room temperature. Its smooth, light texture makes it a popular carrier oil for body oils, massage blends, and other personal care formulations.

Jojoba Oil

Jojoba oil is a liquid wax derived from the seeds of the jojoba plant. Its composition shares similarities with some of the waxy components found on the skin's surface. It helps condition skin and leaves it feeling soft without an overly heavy finish.

Olive Oil

Olive oil is a traditional ingredient in handmade soap and skincare. It contains fatty acids, including oleic acid, and contributes conditioning properties to formulations. In soapmaking, it is valued for the mild, creamy character it can bring to a finished bar.

Sweet Almond Oil

Sweet almond oil is a plant-derived oil containing fatty acids that help soften and condition skin. Its smooth texture makes it a popular ingredient in lotions, body butters, scrubs, and other moisturizing products.

Butters

Cocoa Butter

Cocoa butter is a rich plant butter obtained from cocoa beans. It helps soften skin and reduce moisture loss while adding a creamy, luxurious texture to body butters, balms, and soaps.

Mango Butter

Mango butter is a plant-derived butter valued for its smooth texture and emollient properties. It helps condition dry skin and leaves it feeling soft and supple. It is commonly used in lotions, creams, body butters, and lip care products.

Shea Butter

Shea butter is a rich plant butter obtained from the nuts of the shea tree. It contains fatty acids and other naturally occurring components that contribute to its skin-conditioning properties. Shea butter helps soften skin and reduce moisture loss in balms, lotions, soaps, and body butters.

Botanical and Skin-Care Ingredients

Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is a botanical ingredient widely used in personal care formulations. It contributes a lightweight, conditioning feel and is often included in lotions and other products designed to moisturize the skin.

Coffee

Coffee is used in selected body care products for its familiar aroma, rich color, and naturally occurring plant compounds. When ground coffee is included in a scrub, its texture provides physical exfoliation to help buff away dead surface cells.

Goat Milk

Goat milk is a traditional ingredient in handmade soap and selected skincare products. Its natural fats and other components contribute to the creamy, rich feel associated with milk soaps. It is a favorite ingredient in many traditional soapmaking recipes.

Honey

Honey is a naturally derived ingredient used in selected skincare products. It functions as a humectant, helping attract and retain moisture, and adds a distinctive touch to soaps, masks, and other personal care formulations.

Matcha Powder

Matcha is finely ground green tea powder. It contains naturally occurring polyphenols, including catechins, and adds botanical color and character to selected skincare formulations.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal is used in a variety of personal care products for its soft texture and versatility. Finely ground oatmeal can provide physical exfoliation, while specially processed colloidal oatmeal is used in certain skin-conditioning formulations. These forms are not interchangeable, and their properties depend on the ingredient used.

Peppermint Leaf Powder

Peppermint leaf powder is a botanical ingredient that adds plant color and texture to selected formulations. Peppermint is known for its fresh, minty character, making it a distinctive addition to certain bath and body products.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an antioxidant used in many personal care formulations. Depending on the form and formulation, it can help protect oils from oxidation and contributes conditioning properties to lotions, balms, scrubs, and other products.

Clays, Minerals, and Exfoliating Ingredients

Activated Charcoal

Activated charcoal is a specially processed form of carbon used in soaps and facial masks. It gives products a distinctive dark color and is included in certain cleansing formulations designed to remove everyday surface dirt and excess oil.

Bentonite Clay

Bentonite is a naturally occurring clay used in facial masks and other cleansing products. It can absorb excess surface oil and contributes to the thick, smooth texture associated with clay-based formulations.

Calamine

Calamine is a pink mineral-based ingredient used in certain topical preparations. Before describing its properties, it is important to distinguish actual calamine from kaolin clay or other pink mineral blends, as these ingredients are not interchangeable. Its appropriate use and permitted claims depend on the specific ingredient and finished product.

Dead Sea Salt

Dead Sea salt comes from the mineral-rich waters of the Dead Sea and contains a mixture of mineral salts. It is used in bath and foot soaks to add minerals to bathwater and create a relaxing soaking experience.

French Green Clay

French green clay is a naturally colored mineral clay used in soaps and facial masks. It helps absorb excess surface oil and contributes its characteristic green color and earthy texture to clay-based products.

Kaolin Clay

Kaolin is a fine, naturally occurring mineral clay used in soaps and facial masks. It helps absorb excess surface oil and gives cleansing formulations a smooth, powdery texture.

Mediterranean Red Clay

Mediterranean red clay is a naturally colored mineral clay used in soaps and facial masks. Its warm, earthy color makes it a distinctive ingredient in clay-based formulations, where it also helps absorb excess surface oil.

Rose Clay

Rose clay is a fine, pink-toned clay used in soaps and facial masks. It adds a soft pink color and helps absorb excess surface oil, making it a popular ingredient in clay-based skincare products.

Walnut Shell Powder

Walnut shell powder is a plant-derived physical exfoliant. When appropriately milled and formulated, it helps buff away dead surface cells. Because exfoliating particles vary in texture and abrasiveness, facial products containing walnut shell powder should be used with particular care.

Ginger

Ginger is a botanical ingredient known for its warm, spicy character. In bath and body products, it can contribute a distinctive sensory element to a soaking blend. Its suitability depends on the finished formulation and concentration.

Waxes and Formulation Ingredients

Beeswax

Beeswax is a natural wax produced by honeybees. It helps give balms and lip products their structure and creates a protective layer that helps reduce moisture loss. It also contributes a smooth, rich texture to skincare formulations.

Cetyl Alcohol

Cetyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol commonly derived from plant-based sources. Unlike drying alcohols, it is used to thicken and soften skincare products, improve consistency, and create a smooth, creamy feel.

Emulsifying Wax

Emulsifying wax helps oil and water combine into a stable mixture. It is an important ingredient in many lotions and creams, helping create the smooth texture and consistent appearance customers expect.

Distilled Water

Distilled water is purified water used as a base or solvent in many skincare and household formulations. It helps dissolve water-soluble ingredients and allows other components to be blended into a consistent formula.

Glycerin

Glycerin is a humectant that attracts water and helps skin maintain moisture. It is widely used in soaps, lotions, and other personal care products to support a softer, smoother feel.

Fragrance Oils

Fragrance oils are blends used to give products a particular scent, from fresh and fruity to warm, floral, or earthy. Their composition varies by supplier and intended use.

Essential Oils

Essential oils are concentrated aromatic extracts obtained from plants, including flowers, leaves, peels, and other botanical parts. They bring distinctive natural aromas to soaps, bath products, and other personal care formulations. Depending on the plant and oil, each has its own unique scent profile, adding fresh, floral, herbal, citrus, or earthy notes to a finished product. Essential oils should be used at appropriate concentrations for their intended application.

Mica

Mica is a mineral used in cosmetic and personal care formulations for color and visual effects. Depending on the grade, it can add shimmer, pearlescence, or a soft decorative color to a finished product.

Preservative Blend

Preservatives help protect water-containing formulations from microbial growth during their intended use. The type of preservative, its concentration, and its effectiveness depend on the finished formula. Preservatives play an important role in maintaining the quality and safety of products that require them.

Sodium Hydroxide

Sodium hydroxide, also known as lye, is used in traditional soapmaking. It reacts with oils through a chemical process called saponification, transforming them into soap. In a properly formulated and fully saponified bar, sodium hydroxide is consumed during this reaction.

Stearic Acid

Stearic acid is a fatty acid used to thicken and stabilize many personal care formulations. It helps create a richer texture in creams and body butters and can contribute firmness to soaps and balms.

Candles

Soy Wax

Soy wax is made from soybean oil and is commonly used in container candles. It creates a smooth, opaque finish and provides a plant-derived alternative to paraffin wax. Candle performance, including burn time and fragrance release, depends on the wax, wick, fragrance, container, and overall formulation.

Cotton Candle Wicks

Our candles use flat cotton wicks selected for their suitability in the candle formulation. Wick size and construction influence how a candle burns, so candles should always be used according to their care and safety instructions.

Household Cleaning Ingredients

The following ingredients serve a different purpose from our skincare and bath ingredients. They are included in household cleaning and laundry formulations and should be handled and used according to their specific directions.

Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate)

Baking soda is a versatile household ingredient used in cleaning and laundry formulations. It helps neutralize odors and supports everyday cleaning. It is also used in some bath products as an ingredient that dissolves in water.

Borax (Sodium Borate)

Borax is a mineral-based ingredient used in some laundry and household cleaning formulations. It helps support cleaning performance and may be included in laundry boosters. Follow the product directions carefully, avoid ingestion, and keep it out of reach of children and pets.

Washing Soda (Sodium Carbonate)

Washing soda is an alkaline household cleaning ingredient used in laundry formulations. It helps support cleaning performance, particularly in hard water, and assists with removing dirt and grease. Use only as directed and avoid contact with eyes.

A Note About Our Ingredient Guide

This guide is intended to provide general educational information about the common characteristics and uses of individual ingredients. It is not a substitute for product-specific directions, safety information, or professional advice.

An ingredient's properties do not automatically determine the performance of a finished product. The final formulation, concentration, processing, and intended use all matter. We do not intend these ingredient descriptions to claim that our cosmetic products diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or medical condition.

Please review the ingredient list and directions for each product before use. If you have a known sensitivity to an ingredient, choose products accordingly and discontinue use if an unwanted reaction occurs.

For household cleaning products, always follow the label directions and safety precautions. Keep cleaning ingredients and finished products out of reach of children and pets.

Thank you for choosing Tiki Hut Life and for taking the time to learn more about the ingredients in the products you bring into your home.