Natural Ingredients Assurance

At Tui Balmes & Waxes we define what we mean by natural as follows.

All ingredients used in our products are either whole substances occurring in nature or they are directly extracted from a whole, natural source.

We are also prepared to state:

No artificial preservatives, emulsifiers, colouring agents, stabilisers or chemical additives are used in our products.

These definitions are open to investigation like any other in the "natural" market place. However, we believe we are a long way along the road to creating products that do relate honestly with the intuitive sense many people have: That natural means something relating directly to original nature, not something minutely adapted and configured by human intervention.

No Genetic Engineering

We make every effort to ensure that all ingredients used in our products are free of genetic engineering. This doesn't simply mean accepting bland assurances from raw material suppliers that there is no GE material in the goods they supply. It means that we require certification from suppliers that their goods are also accessed from GE free source material. (Vitamin E for instance can be produced from GE crops without genetically modified material being present in the vitamin).

We don't support genetic engineering in food and agricultural crops so we don't buy from suppliers who tacitly support genetic engineering in any way.

No Animal Testing

Tui Balmes & Waxes have never tested products on animals or commissioned tests on animals and never will. Further, we do not buy products tested on animals as from 2002. We are listed with one of New Zealand's principal animal welfare organisations, S.A.F.E. (Save Animals From Exploitation), as a company which publicly adheres to these criteria. We have written assurances from all of our relevant suppliers to support this position.

We are proud of this position because the cruel treatment of animals is easily overlooked. In this business, the first guinea pigs in line for product testing are the Co-op members themselves – especially management! And actually, the policy comes easily to us because of the relatively simple nature of our products and the well-established use of traditional ingredients.