Product FAQs
Are Alpenglow products Certified Organic?
Short answer: Not formally certified, but more than 80 - 90 % of every recipe is certified-organic, wildcrafted, or organically grown—and our practices exceed USDA standards.
Long answer:
For a small, family-run company like Alpenglow, official certification would raise prices without improving quality. Instead, we:
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Source certified-organic oils, butters, and botanicals whenever they exist.
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Wildcraft pristine Alaskan plants that can’t be “certified” yet are as pure as nature allows.
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Growing our own herbs and flowers with regenerative, beyond-organic farming—local fish-bone meal, seaweed, compost, and cover crops enrich the soil; only certified organic non-GMO seed is used.
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Source certified-organic oils, butters, and botanicals whenever they exist.
By skipping costly certification, we keep prices fair while upholding stricter standards than most certified brands.
The health and sustainability of our ingredients and products are paramount to Alpenglow Skin Care. There is no greenwashing here, we really only want healthy ingredients that support harmony with nature.
Are Alpenglow products free of allergens?
Short answer: Yes—no synthetics, no nut oils (except shea, which is non-allergenic), and ideal for sensitive or allergy-prone skin.*
Long answer:
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Our formulas are free from synthetic fragrances, dyes, and common irritants.
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We avoid peanut and tree-nut oils; shea butter is a tree-nut derivative but is protein-free and rarely triggers reactions.
- Because anyone can be sensitive to natural botanicals, we recommend a patch test: apply a pea-sized amount to the inner wrist or behind the ear for 24 hours and monitor. Customers who have “tried everything” often tell us Alpenglow is the first brand their skin truly loves.
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Our formulas are free from synthetic fragrances, dyes, and common irritants.
What is the shelf life of Alpenglow products?
Short answer: Most products stay fresh 12–18 months after opening; soaps last about 2 years.
Long answer:
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We batch-make every few months, so what you receive is never old stock.
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Natural preservatives and antioxidants curb rancidity and microbial growth.
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Look for the open-jar icon (12 M or 18 M) or a “BEST BY” sticker for guidance.
- Variables like heat, humidity, and dirty fingers can shorten lifespan—keep lids tight and store at room temperature. Refrigeration isn’t required, but clean hands are!
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We batch-make every few months, so what you receive is never old stock.
Which products are best for problem skin?
Short answer: Start with our detergent-free soaps and jojoba-rich Face Cream; add Cottonwood Balm or Massage Oil for flare-ups.
Long answer:
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Cleanse gently – Bar soaps and shampoo bars contain no sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), a known irritant that can worsen eczema or acne.
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Moisturize wisely – Face Cream features organic jojoba (mimics skin’s natural sebum) plus unrefined shea butter to nourish without clogging pores.
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Target trouble spots – Cottonwood Balm & Massage Oil deliver anti-inflammatory salicylates that calm redness, promote healing, and relieve discomfort.
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Cleanse gently – Bar soaps and shampoo bars contain no sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), a known irritant that can worsen eczema or acne.
Hundreds of customers report clearer, calmer skin within weeks of switching to this trio.
The last batch looked or felt different—why?
Short answer: Natural ingredients vary with the seasons; slight differences are proof of freshness, not a flaw.
Long answer:
Essential-oil scent, beeswax firmness, even jojoba’s color shift with rainfall, temperature, and pollen levels. Big cosmetic brands mask these changes with synthetics; we embrace them. Think artisan bread—no two loaves are identical, yet each tastes amazing. Rest assured our measurements and methods are exact and efficacy is identical.
How is your traditional cold-process bar soap made?
Short answer: Plant oils + lye + time = gentle, glycerin-rich soap cured for at least one month.
Long answer:
We blend organic plant oils with lye (sodium hydroxide) and pristine Alaskan water. The mixture bonds and thickens, then is poured into block molds, and undergoes saponification over several days. Once firm, we wire-cut bars and let them air-cure on ventilated racks for 4+ weeks, ensuring a hard, long-lasting bar packed with natural glycerin.
Read about our soap making process here.
How do you make liquid soap and shampoo?
Short answer: Same ingredients, but heat speeds saponification so the soap is ready as soon as it cools.
Long answer:
We combine plant oils with potassium hydroxide, apply gentle heat, and stir until the mixture fully saponifies. After cooling, we dilute, test pH, bottle, and label—hours of hands-on work for each fresh batch.
Why do you use lye in your soap?
Short answer: Because soap cannot exist without lye—but none remains after saponification.
Long answer:
Historically made from wood ash, lye (sodium or potassium hydroxide) reacts with fats to create soap and skin-loving glycerin. Our finished products are pH-balanced and contain zero free lye.
Do you superfat your soap?
Short answer: Yes—extra plant oils make our bars luxuriously moisturizing, never drying.
Long answer:
We intentionally add more oils than the lye can convert, leaving a small “superfat” percentage for unmatched softness. Your skin feels conditioned, not “squeaky.”
What is the difference between Alpenglow’s bar soap and shampoo bars?
Short answer: Shampoo bars are formulated for scalp & hair, but double as body wash—great for travel.
Long answer:
Both are cold-process, but shampoo bars feature hair-loving oils and a pH tailored to the scalp. They cleanse without stripping and rinse clean even in hard water. Bar soaps focus on skin nourishment alone.
Is alcohol really bad in skincare—and do you use it?
Short answer: We never use drying alcohols; our concentrated formulas hydrate instead of dehydrate.
Long answer:
Many brands add alcohol so water-heavy lotions dry faster, but alcohol keeps pulling moisture from skin after it evaporates. We skip both high water content and alcohol, delivering potent, long-lasting hydration in smaller, more eco-friendly jars.
Do you use sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate (SLS)?
Short answer: Never. SLS is a harsh foaming agent linked to irritation; our soaps lather naturally.
Long answer:
SLS is cheap, and it can trigger eczema, psoriasis, and even form harmful by-products. Alpenglow relies on plant-based oils and the natural chemistry of soap for a gentle, creamy foam.
What are parabens, and are they in Alpenglow products?
Short answer: Parabens are synthetic preservatives tied to health concerns—we use natural alternatives only.
Long answer:
Research has detected parabens in breast-tumor tissue and flagged them as potential endocrine disruptors. Following the precautionary principle, we preserve products with plant-based antioxidants and broad-spectrum essential oils instead.
Does Alaska’s Best Insect Repellent really work?
Short answer: Absolutely—field-tested in Alaska and the tropics; safe for kids, pets, and gear.
Long answer:
A blend of broad-spectrum essential oils repels mosquitoes, black flies, sand fleas, and more without the plastic-melting drawbacks of DEET. Customers worldwide, from Mexico to Denali, swear by it.
How and why did you start Alpenglow Skin Care?
Short answer: A park ranger’s passion for ethnobotany turned backyard experiments into Alaska’s most loved handcrafted skincare, founded in 1999.
Long answer:
Susan’s fascination with native plants, combined with her own battle with sensitive skin, drove her to create truly natural recipes in her Denali cabin kitchen. Positive feedback snowballed into a family business committed to “right livelihood” over profit. Decades later, Alpenglow still crafts small-batch products for loyal customers across the globe.
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_laureth_sulfate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parabens