FAQ

Product composition

Why aren’t Mustela products organic?

"Bio" label is one of the ways to guarantee a high naturalness in products, the presence of ingredients from organic farming, traceability of ingredients and respect for the environment, evaluated by an accredited third party . At Mustela we have made the choice to give priority to natural ingredients that have proven their tolerance and effectiveness (95% natural ingredients on average in our Baby / Child ranges *). We have also made the choice to source for our own active ingredients from responsible plant supply chains under the control of UEBT (Union for Ethical BioTrade). UEBT periodically assesses ethical sourcing practices for plant-based active ingredients that we produce. * Excluding seasonal references

Do your products contain phenoxyethanol?

No, we don't use this ingredient in our products.

I have heard that phthalates are dangerous for babies. Do Mustela Baby products contain any?

All of Mustela products for babies are formulated whithout phthalates, both in terms of the actual skin care product itself as well as its packaging. In the same way, all the promotional objects made of plastic that Mustela gives to its customers (toilet bags, small toys for children, etc.) are free from phthalates.

Do your products include mineral oils (petrolatum, mineral oil, paraffinum liquidum) and do they pose a risk?

Petrolatum (also known as paraffinum liquidum or mineral oil) is the international cosmetic name for paraffin. This ingredient is sometimes questioned because it can contain harmful impurities if its manufacture is poorly controlled. Mustela has chosen to keep it only in Stelatopia cares dedicated to atopic skin because of its emollient properties and "barrier effect" unmatched until now by any other ingredient. We only select pharmaceutical quality paraffin that guarantees the purity and safety of this ingredient.

Do your products contain aluminium?

Our products do not contain alumium salts. Only our sun protection products contain aluminum in very small quantities necessary for the effectiveness of our formulas. The safety of these products has been evaluated and guaranteed by an independent toxicologist expert.

Why are there fragrances in Mustela products?

Fragrances help make our products smell nice. Mustela® pays special attention to developing sensorial textures and delicate fragrances that enrich skincare routines without skimping on safety, so as to create moments of well-being, stimulation, pleasure and deep feeling. The safety of Mustela products has been our top priority for over 65 years.

Presence of endocrine disruptors

It is true that Mustela does not communicate much about everything that is done for the safety of its products. But that does not mean that nothing is done, quite the contrary! As part of its risk anticipation policy, Mustela systematically evaluates its toxicological ingredients and products to detect potential endocrine effects and to remove dangerous substances. Mustela is committed to ensuring the safety of its products for 65 years. If you want to know more, we invite you to consult the heading "A proven safety and efficiency" in "Our commitments"

Do Mustela products contain alcohol?

We chose to exclude alcohol (or ethanol) from our formulas because it is very harsh on the hydrolipidic film which protects the skin and may lead to skin dryness. While it may be used in some cosmetic products, it is not suitable for the sensitive skin of babies and pregnant women.

Why do you use synthetic ingredients?

To ensure maximum safety, efficiency and pleasure of use, we use synthetic ingredients that have no natural equivalent as safe and effective.

Do your products contain cyclopentasiloxane?

Cyclopentasiloxane is used in Stelatopia balm and emollient cream products to ensure their effectiveness and rapid relief of babies and children with atopic skin. This ingredient is sometimes questioned because it can contain, under certain conditions of manufacture, traces of cyclotetrasiloxane, an ingredient with harmful effects for men and the environment. Mustela guarantees the use of cyclopentasiloxane of controlled quality. Dans les conditions testées, le cyclopentasiloxane et les produits qui en contiennent n'induisent pas d'effet perturbateur endocrinien.

How do you choose the ingredients which enter into your formulas?

We have 3 main criteria to select our ingredients: safety, efficiency and pleasure of use. We have a specific formulation charter that goes beyond the European cosmetic regulation: - rigorous selection of each ingredient under the supervision of a panel of scientific experts and validated by an independent toxicologist expert (origin, purity, safety) - priority to ingredients of natural origin - red list of ingredients that we forbid (see the list - hyperlink)

Presence of carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic (CMR) substances

No, we do not have carcinogenic substance in Mustela products. There is a classification of ingredients that carry a carcinogenic risk established under the control of the health authorities and Mustela prohibits the use of these ingredients in all its products.

Do Mustela products contain essential oils?

Mustela products are not made with essential oils.

What does hypoallergenic mean?

A product is called hypoallergenic when it has been formulated to minimize the risk of allergic reactions: this means it does not contain any known allergen or any irritating substance But above all, it must have been tested according to a standardized protocol in order to verify its high tolerance All Mustela products are hypoallergenic.

Nanoparticles present

Nanoparticles are ultra-fine particles (about 100,000 times smaller than the thickness of a hair). They are defined by the cosmetic regulations *. We have chosen not to use them in our products. * defined in the cosmetic regulation 1223/2009 / CE explained by the professional recommendation of the European Association of Cosmetic Industries.

How can I find the composition of Mustela products?

A complete list of ingredients is available on the packaging of every Mustela product, as well as on each product page on this site by clicking on the "Ingredients & Naturalness" thumbnail.

Do your products contain aluminium salts?

Our formulation charter excludes aluminum salts.To find out more about our ingredients selection criteria and our commitments, we invite you to consult the "Ingredients" section in "Our commitments".

Do fragrance in your products pose a risk for babies?

Fragrances are sometimes questioned because they can contain allergenic substances for 1 to 2% of the population. Mustela has chosen a fragrance formulated to minimize the risk of allergic reactions. Out of 40 million Mustela products sold worldwide each year, no case of allergy to Mustela fragrance has been recorded for more than 60 years. Nevertheless, if you want to use products without fragrance, you can choose to use Mustela Very sensitive skin products

Product preservation

Are preservatives really necessary in cosmetic products?

Preservatives play a vital role in cosmetic products: they prevent all microbial growth.Specifically, cosmetic products for babies are usually used in bathrooms and this warm, damp environment encourages bacterial and fungal growth. If they contaminate the skincare product, these germs could cause severe infection in the user, especially if that user is a baby. Mustela selects its preservatives carefully to ensure they are effective and well-tolerated.

Do your products contain parabens?

No, we don't use this ingredient in our products.

How long do Mustela products last?

Non opened, Mustela products are most effective between 24 and 36 months from their date of manufacture. After the opening we advise you to use our products before the expiration date shown on each product's packaging by this logo (period-after-opening labelling) (see the pictogram) To ensure that your Mustela skin care products last we recommend that you close them properly after use and not to transfer them to any other container

What preservatives do you use? And are they risk-free?

The conservation system we use for our products takes into account the combination of ingredients that creates an unfavorable environment for microbial growth (e.g. glycerin, sugar derivatives, citric acid, antioxidants) and a choice of packaging that limits the product's contact with ambient air while preventing contamination (e.g. airless packaging). The preservatives paraben, phenoxyethanol, triclosan or MIT/MCIT are not used in any Mustela formulas. Before it comes on the market, the product is tested to make sure there is no contamination and that it conserves properly without losing its properties. The safety of Mustela products has been our top priority for over 65 years. For more information, go to the "Proven safety and efficacy" section in "Our Commitments". Pour toute information complémentaires, nous vous invitons à consulter la rubrique "Une sécurité et une efficacité démontrées" dans "Nos engagements".

Are Mustela products safe even if they contain PEG?

PEG (or PolyEthylene Glycol) is used to ensure the stability of the formula. They are sometimes questioned because they can contain harmful impurities and in particular 1-4 dioxane, if its manufacture is poorly mastered. Mustela selects PEGs whose purity, evaluated by dosing up to the trace level (less than 1 ppm), guarantees a safe use. Despite the security of the PEGs we use, we are committed to removing them from our formulas whenever possible to reassure parents.

Can Mustela products be used safely from birth on?

As a leading French brand in the European market for children's products, we are committed to ensuring our products meet the toughest requirements in terms of quality, safety and efficacy.All the ingredients that go into our products undergo a rigorous selection process that guarantees the tolerance and safety of each one of our products. Tolerance is systematically assessed in the laboratory using reconstructed skin models, then in adults, and finally in children in actual usage conditions under dermatological supervision. The safety of Mustela products has been our top priority for 65 years. For more information, go to the "Proven safety and efficacy" section in "Our Commitments".

How do you guarantee the safety of Mustela products?

As a leading French brand in the European market for children's products, we are committed to ensuring our products meet the toughest requirements in terms of quality, safety and efficacy. To this end, each product in the Mustela brand from Laboratoires Expanscience is subjected to a demanding and responsible process, governed by a commitment charter that tackles the key quality and safety challenges: - A strict, rigorous ingredient selection process that emphasizes products of natural origin and eschews controversial ingredients. - A toxicological evaluation of each ingredient, based on advanced expertise in the specific characteristics of infant skin from birth on. - Tolerance and allergen testing on each finished products. - A key point is taking into account the specificities and needs and the baby's skin, with which we paid additional safety factors such as the risk of ingestion and penetration. - Final safety assessment of the finished product with independent toxicological experts taking into account its use on children specifically: specific tests performed on skin models, additional safety factors such as the risk of ingestion and penetration. This approach, fully in line with all current regulations, has enabled us to guarantee safe and effective products from birth for parents and their children for over 65 years. Information on the Mustela brand’s commitment is available on the Mustela website under "Our Commitments.”

From what age can you use Mustela Bébé products?

You can use every Mustela Baby - Child products from the moment your baby is born (even if they have been born prematurely). Their safety and efficacy are verified before launch in the market by an independant toxicologist expert : combining efficacy, safety and unique sensory pleasure, they have been specifically designed to meet the everyday needs of the skin of newborns, babies and children and respect its extremely delicate nature.

Do cosmetic products have to respect certain regulations?

In order to guarantee optimum safety for users, cosmetic products have been rigorously governed for over 40 years by specific regulation that applies to the entire European Union. It is regularly updated to take account of scientific and technological advances. This regulation notably defines the lists of banned substances (of which there are over 1300), restricted substances, and the steps that must be taken before a product can be marketed. It also provides a framework for guaranteeing product safety, and defines the responsibilities of manufacturers.Once the cosmetic products are on the market, they are monitored the entire time they are available in order to ensure they are tolerated. Cosmetovigilance is the collection and analysis of any adverse effects that are observed. Mustela is regularly subjected to these checks, and works closely with the authorities each time one is required. Outside of Europe, other countries have their own specific regulations pertaining to cosmetic products (safety, marketing, product monitoring).

Do you use animal testing to assess the safety and effectiveness of your products?

All tests performed by our laboratory on all of our products before commercialization market are guaranteed without animal testing. As part of our innovation and continuous improvement process, and because safety is our top priority, our researchers have developed a unique patented model using reconstructed infant epidermis (Stelaskin) that allows the tolerance and the effectiveness of Mustela products to be tested in a laboratory without the need for animal testing.

Are Mustela products tested before being launched on the market?

The safety of our products is an absolute priority.To guarantee complete safety, more than 450 measurements and tests are performed on each product before it is marketed, to ensure its quality, safety and efficacy. We voluntarily submit the security assessment to independent toxicology experts to evaluate product safety with regard to the product’s use on infants and pregnant women, which may require numerous precautions and restrictions. Those experts may oppose the product’s introduction on the market at any time. We carry out a unique, customized assessment process that includes 11 evaluation steps primarily conducted by authorized, independent institutions. It assesses skin, eye and neuro-sensory tolerance in adults, as well as tolerance when applied to a reconstructed infant epidermis and under actual use conditions on infants and babies. Finally, the efficacy of our products is proven for pregnant women and babies from birth onward under independent medical supervision (dermatologist, pediatrician, gynecologist or ophthalmologist, depending on the product).

Up to what age can Mustela products be used? 

Mustela products are designed to protect a baby's delicate and fragile skin. You can even continue to take advantage of the gentleness of Mustela products throughout childhood and even beyond, without risk.

Can any Mustela products provoke an allergy?

Whether it is intended for babies, pregnant women or new mothers, all our products are hypoallergenic. This means that they have been formulated to minimise the risks of allergic reactions Ingredients have been selected so as not to introduce the risk of allergic reaction, and all of our products have been tested by independent laboratories that have proved their tolerance. This approach, fully in line with all current regulations, has enabled us to guarantee safe and effective products for parents and their children for over 65 years.