Frequently Asked Questions

We hope you find what you are looking for. If we haven't answered your question below, please feel free to get in touch. Our customer service team is available Monday through Friday, 9:00am-16:00pm Montréal time.

STORE LOCATIONS & ORDERING ONLINE:

DO YOU HAVE ANY STORES IN MY AREA?

You can find us only at: essentialcosmetic.ca

CAN I ORDER ONLINE AND GET MY ITEMS SHIPPED TO ME?

Absolutely, simply add all the items you want to order from our website to your shopping cart and click on your cart to check out. If you need any assistance with this please contact us or open up a live chat on the bottom right hand corner of this page. Free Shipping is available for orders Over $100 CDN in Canada/ $200 CDN to United-States.

CAN I CHANGE MY ORDER AFTER IT HAS BEEN PLACED?

Please let us know soon as you can.We send your parcel usually within 24 hours.

DO YOU DELIVER OUTSIDE OF CANADA?

Yes, we deliver worldwide from our workshop in Longueuil, Québec. View our Shipping rates and delivery times.

WILL I BE CHARGED CUSTOMS DUTIES?

Sometimes there are customs charges on orders shipped to destinations outside of Canada. We ask you to check with your local customs authority for more information on this type of tax or duty charge. There should be no customs or duty charges for orders shipped to the USA via USPS.

HOW DOES THE EXCHANGE RATE WORK?

At our checkout, you will be charged in Canadian dollars (as we are based in Canada), however, your local currency exchange rate will be applied by your credit card company when the payment is processed by them.  

HOW CAN I PAY FOR MY ORDER?

We accept all major credit cards including MasterCard, Visa, and American Express. 

HOW DO I TRACK MY ORDER?

When you place an order you’ll receive an email confirmation that your order has been received as well as a further email with the tracking information you need to be able to see where your delivery is. Orders outside of North America will only be tracked if you select a tracked shipping method. If you need any help with this feel free to contact us.

GIFTING AN ORDER:

CAN I SEND MY ORDER AS A GIFT?

Yes! We never include the invoice in our packaging so no need to worry about that.

DO YOU SELL GIFT CARDS?

Yes we do, choose from $10, $25, $50 and $100 Gift Cards available for immediate purchase. Gift cards are emailed electronically after purchase. They are then available to print, save, or forward as a gift. These gift cards are only redeemable in our online store. 

OUR PRODUCTS ARE CHEMICAL FREE:

CAN I GET ADVICE ON WHAT PRODUCTS ARE BEST FOR ME?

Yes, of course! Our customer service is available Monday to Friday, 9am to 16:00 pm. Subject to change around holidays. Please feel free to reach out by filling out this form, calling us at 1-514-883-5481 or starting a live chat on our website and we will be happy to answer your questions and offer advice.

WHAT IF I DON’T LIKE THE PRODUCTS I ORDERED?

We’re proud of what we make and we believe that once you try us you’ll fall in love with natural too. However we recognize that not every product will work for every customer so we’ve made it easy for you to try our stuff without any risk.

We offer a 100% money back guarantee. No, it doesn’t matter if you don’t have your receipt, and no, it doesn’t matter if the product has been used (in fact we hope you’ve tried it), we will happily refund you for your purchase. All we ask in return is your feedback on why you’re returning it. Your feedback is critical to us as we continue to formulate amazing toxin-free products, so please be honest with us, we really appreciate it!

If you purchased your product from our online store and would like to return it, please contact us.

DO YOU USE GMO INGREDIENTS?

Most of our ingredients are certified Organic. 

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PARFUM, FRAGRANCE AND ESSENTIAL OILS?

‘Parfum’ or ‘Fragrance’ is required by Health Canada when an ingredient listing for the scent of a product is too long for the label or the list is proprietary. We don't use Parfum or fragrance because they contains chemical ingredients. We use Essential Oils witch are highly concentrated plants oils. Essential oils have been used for centuries for traditional healing. It's natural and healthy.

DO YOU TEST ON ANIMALS?

Absolutely not! If all body care companies would use only toxin-free ingredients, there would be no need to do any animal testing in our industry. We believe that not testing on animals is not enough. We will never, ever test on animals, but our goal is to change the industry and eliminate the need to test on animals altogether.

You can help make this happen by buying toxin-free products from companies that don’t test on animals. Not only do we not test on animals, but our products will not harm the natural habitats or aquatic life when they go down the drain and out into the environment. Let’s take care of our animal friends and the world they live in.

WHAT ARE YOUR EXPIRY DATES?

All of our products are formulated to have a minimum shelf life of 2 years unopened. Some products will last longer than this however such as soap, shampoo/conditioner and body butters. Expiry dates are based on product being kept at room temperature or lower. If the product is stored in warm temperatures or humidity the expiry dates may be less than 2 years.

WHAT IS PAO (PRODUCT AFTER OPENING DATE)?

Many lotions/creams will have a specified PAO, the little open jar symbol on the label) which tells you how long it is expected to last after opening.  In general, our other products are good from 1 year of opening or 2 years unopened. Beyond that it really depends on how you are storing it. Heat and humidity, as well as which essential oils were used, will have an effect as well. We have found that most of our butters remain stable for up to 4 years prior to opening with normal or cool storage conditions, but we make it a rule to not send them out once they approach 2 years. 

WHAT IS THE EXPIRY DATE ON PRODUCTS WITHOUT A DATE? WHY DON’T ALL PRODUCTS LIST AN EXPIRY DATE AND MANUFACTURE DATE? 

In general our products are good from 1 year. Beyond that depends on how you are storing it, the heat and humidity of the environment you’re keeping it in, as well as which essential oils were used or flavours because some go rancid or lose scent faster than others.

WHOLESALE:

DO YOU OFFER WHOLESALE OR AM I ABLE TO ORDER YOUR PRODUCTS FOR MY BUSINESS?

Our management team has made the difficult decision to discontinue all new wholesale activities for the time being. The reason for this is with our rapid growth, our production facility is at maximum capacity right now.

ALLERGIES:

DO YOU USE INGREDIENTS CONTAINING GLUTEN?

At this time, none of our products contain gluten but we are not a gluten-free facility, nor do we test for the presence or absence of it in our other products. To date, we have not had any feedback from celiac customers that they have had any issues with the rest of our line.  

I AM CELIAC; DO I HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT SKIN CARE PRODUCTS THAT CONTAIN GLUTEN?

No. The gluten contained in skin care products cannot be absorbed through the skin. You should avoid any products that you might accidentally swallow, such as lip care or lip colour products containing gluten. Some people develop a skin reaction called dermatitis herpetiformis, but this is due to swallowing gluten, not from absorbing it through the skin. The Black Oats in our day cream is tested to not contain gluten.

IS THERE POTENTIAL TO HAVE A REACTION TO SHEA BUTTER IF I AM ALLERGIC TO NUTS?
There are no reports of allergic reactions from using shea butter topically because it doesn’t contain allergen binding proteins. This means that even if you have a nut allergy you can still enjoy using our soap.

There are no reports of allergic reactions owing to the topical use of shea butter because it does not contain allergen binding proteins. This assures that shea butter is safe for use, even in individuals with a nut allergy. We recommend that you test to make sure this product is right for you. 

DEODORANT:

WHY DOES YOUR DEODORANT CONTAIN ALUMINUM? IS IT SAFE?

Learn more about our natural deodorant.

DO YOUR PRODUCTS CONTAIN PHTHALATES?

No, we only use 100% natural Essential Oil and phthalates are not allowed by our definition of natural.

PREGNANCY:

WHY ARE SOME PRODUCTS NOT SAFE FOR PREGNANCY?

Essential Oils may have the ability to affect a sensitive growing fetus or initiate contractions of the uterus (known as Emmenagogues) and are to be used in dilution and with caution. Although most of our products are made using a low concentration of essential oils we still err on the side of caution. If you are pregnant and using leave-on products or aromatherapy misters with known emmenagogues, please consult your healthcare provider.  

Read more information about pregnancy and essential oils on google.