At Persica Skincare, our corporate ethos draws upon the inclusivity of ancient Persia and the Silk Road. We intend for our botanical and saffron skincare products to reflect that inclusivity by being suitable for all skin types and genders. Our ethos is further driven by our philosophy to be one of the most ethically transparent, honest, and accessible skincare brands that exists. Being free of artificial ingredients, chemicals and synthetics, cruelty, and environmental harm are bedrock principles at Persica Skincare. We seek to bring clean, holistic, and microbiome- compatible botanical and saffron skincare to new heights and recognition.

Persica Skincare first began to take shape in the Fall of 2018. The diligence of our research into all-natural botanical ingredients and the benefits of saffron skincare led to a two-year journey before we had a single product formula finalized. We took our time to source ingredients with care, and truly understand the science of our ingredients. Our team spent most of 2019 investing in product development and testing our products with volunteer product testers representing diversity in gender, age, race and ethnic background.

Our founder’s intimate and deep cultural knowledge of and appreciation for saffron led to her vision for Persica Skincare. Saffron has long been used in ancient Persia, the historic Silk Road, and in modern day Iran and the Caucus region for its medicinal and skin-soothing properties. Relying on the tremendous quality of existing and emerging scientific research into saffron, we are compelled to bring awareness of this remarkable, undeniably precious ingredient to the modern skincare consciousness.

It is an absolute priority and non-negotiable mandate that Persica Skincare is fully compliant with all U.S. laws and regulations. According to our communications with the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), an arm of the U.S. Department of the Treasury which oversees U.S. sanctions programs, using Iranian-origin saffron for skincare products produced and sold in the United States would be a violation of existing sanctions laws against trade with Iran, and is not permitted under any general license exception to sanctions. Our research into the science of saffron indicates that Iranian-origin saffron is among the absolute highest quality saffron available anywhere in the world. In addition, one line of the Persica Skincare collection honors the legacy of Queen Esther, a Jewish Queen of Persia whose final resting place is in modern day Iran. Accordingly, as part of our mission to honor Queen Esther’s legacy, and uphold our commitment to use the highest quality ingredients possible, in 2021, Persica Skincare filed a specific license request with OFAC. The specific license requests that OFAC grant Persica Skincare an exemption from U.S. sanctions laws such that we may use Iranian-origin saffron in our product formulations. That request is still pending, and we will provide timely updates when possible. Until such time as that specific license request hopefully is granted, we shall continue to use premium, highest grade saffron from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, and other historic Silk Road countries.

Unfortunately, yes. Sometimes our favorite cruelty-free makeup and skincare brands start to change their labeling from “cruelty-free” to “cruelty-free (except in markets where testing is mandatory).” Those are the more honest ones. Most skincare companies that start off cruelty-free do not call attention to their sales in markets where animal testing is mandatory. If a market would require animal testing of Persica Skincare products before they can be sold in stores in that market, then we happily forego the opportunity to do business there.

Persica Skincare specializes in creating all-natural botanical and saffron skincare products that are anhydrous, meaning, they do not contain water. The sole exception to this is the Queen Esther Purifying Florals Hydrosol Toner, which contains rose and orange blossom hydrosols (floral waters created through steam distillation). The Toner comes in a capped spray bottle, so there is no need to open the bottle and expose the formula to contaminants, and it contains organic apple cider vinegar as a natural preservative. If you take a look at the ingredient label on most skincare and cosmetic products, water is the first ingredient. First, we do not believe that it is fair to the consumer to charge exorbitant prices for products that mostly consist of water. Second, and more importantly, the introduction of water into skincare formulas comes hand in hand with the need to include preservatives, surfactants, and texturizers in these products. These preservatives include artificial chemicals, synthetics, and petroleum-derived ingredients that in large part are intended to make up for the presence of water, such as by preventing evaporation, forcing the creation of foam, and compelling hydrophilic (water-loving) and hydrophobic (water-avoiding) molecules to function side by side. Many of these chemicals are untested and have been shown to be harmful to human and environmental health. Moreover, the introduction of water and its concordant preservatives and chemicals increases the need for companies to undertake animal testing. Our all-natural, botanical and saffron skincare is inspired by and intended to reflect ancient skincare traditions, which were free of artificial chemicals and synthetics.

We approach sustainability certifications with the extreme hesitation that they merit. Our view is that, in general, if sourcing an ingredient truly causes no harm to the Earth, then it should not need a label to attempt to prove that it was sourced “sustainably.” Sustainability certifications often do not mean what the consumer expects them to mean. This is true particularly for ingredients such as beeswax and palm oil (see our Ingredient Pledge™ for more on those two). Persica Skincare was founded by an international trade attorney with over a decade of experience across multiple sectors, including at a law firm, within government, and at the helm of compliance for a non-profit. Many aspects of her work involved crafting certifications; because of this, our brand is aware that certifications often are designed or selected “to fit” with what a company already wants to do, rather than impose meaningful, affirmative obligations on a company. Our pledges to be ethically transparent and honest mean that you can ask us anything about the sustainability of our ingredients and products – we are more than happy to discuss!

In China, foreign-made imported cosmetic products sold in Chinese stores historically have been required to submit to pre-market animal testing. The exception to this requirement was for products sold on cross-border e-commerce platforms. China’s new law concerning cosmetic products and animal testing took effect on January 1, 2021. However, because this new law leaves unchanged the possibility of post-market animal testing (when a product is taken from the shelves for confirmation of its ingredients), Persica Skincare cannot permit its products to be sold in-store in China at this time. Because cross-border sales of products sold on foreign e- commerce platforms are exempt from the animal testing requirement and are delivered direct to the consumer, we do permit sales of our products in this circumstance alone.

“Sustainable certifications” often are not in reality what the consumer expects them to be (i.e., requiring annual audits, obtaining consent from local communities/indigenous tribes prior to establishing palm oil plantations on their land, bans on the use of fire to clear vegetation, bans on child labor, and establishing mandatory fair labor standards). “Sustainable” palm oil production has done little to combat the devastating effects of palm oil production, which often occurs within protected, extremely biodiverse parkland. For example, according to the World Wildlife Fund, 43% of Tesso Nilo National Park in Sumatra, which was established to provide habitat for the endangered Sumatran Tiger, has now been overrun with illegal palm oil plantings. Around 90% of the world’s palm oil trees are grown on a few islands in Malaysia & Indonesia – islands that contains some of the most biodiverse tropical forests on Earth. While the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), an international group of palm oil producers, palm oil buyers, and environmental groups, is a start, as of 2014, RSPO-certified growers accounted for only 19% of the global market (according to RSPO’s website as of March 2021). RSPO certifications take no position on fair wages or minimum labor age, instead deferring to national interpretations, call for “reduced use” of pesticides and fires rather than bans, and call for informing and consulting local communities rather than obtaining their consent.

All Persica Skincare products are made in our sterile, closed-door, and private professional offices. Production is handled with the seriousness of a scientific laboratory. There is never any cross-contamination in our production involving the presence of domesticated animals such as dogs, livestock such as swine, swine-related parts or materials (such as pork-derived gelatin capsules), alcohol, cigarettes, or e-cigarettes. None of our ingredients implicate animals or animal derivatives in any way, and thus, do not raise the issue of needing to be harvested in a kosher or halal manner. This being said, we respect that kosher and halal certifications must undergo inspection and verification. Persica Skincare currently is examining ways in which our products can become both halal- and kosher-certified.

As part of the Persica Skincare Ingredient Pledge™, we pledge to use organic ingredients wherever reasonably possible. In some cases, such as saffron, we have determined that it is not reasonably possible to do so at this time. This is because our saffron is sourced from traditional Silk Road-region producers who have limited access and resources to obtain certifications (for example: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan). While there is some saffron available in the global market that has organic certifications, we find that the saffron itself is inferior in quality. For us, the value of the organic certification does not outweigh the bioactive compounds in the saffron itself.

BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) are two closely related synthetic preservatives. Both can cause allergic reactions in skin; BHA is a possible human carcinogen and has been classified by the EU as a Category 1 substance, based on evidence that it interferes with hormone function. Meanwhile, long-term exposure to high doses of BHT has been found to be toxic in mice and rats, causing liver, thyroid and kidney problems and adversely affecting lung function and blood coagulation. As part of our Ingredient Pledge™, Persica Skincare will never use BHA, BHT, or any other kind of artificial or synthetic preservative. Because almost all Persica Skincare products are anhydrous (do not contain water), that removes a mandatory necessity to introduce synthetic, microbiome-questionable preservatives into our products.

Not at all! At Persica Skincare, we treat saffron with the sacred respect it merits. Our proprietary double-refined technique reduces the highest grade tips and ends of saffron stigmas into a fine powder. In products that contain saffron stigma as an ingredient, you may see small flecks of this pulverized pure saffron powder. This is completely natural and part of how the benefits of saffron are massaged into your skin.