When a MIKOA label says "made without", it means none of these ingredient groups are in the formula: silicones, colourants, sulfates (including SLS), phthalates, parabens, PEGs, petrolatum, mineral oil, nanoparticles and palm oil. It doesn't mean chemical-free, and it doesn't mean a product will suit every skin. Here is what each of those ingredients is, what we use in its place, and how to read any ingredient list yourself.

The list, in plain English

Every MIKOA product is made in Australia, vegan, cruelty-free and non-GMO. And every one is made without:

• Silicones. They give many lotions an instant slippery, silky finish.
• Sulfates, including SLS. Strong cleansers that make a big, fast foam.
• Parabens. A family of preservatives.
• PEGs. Polyethylene glycol compounds, used to thicken products or help oil and water mix.
• Petrolatum and mineral oil. Petroleum-derived ingredients that sit on the surface of skin.
• Phthalates. Chemicals sometimes used in fragrance blends.
• Nanoparticles. Particles made at a scale of billionths of a metre.
• Colourants. Added dyes and pigments.
• Palm oil.

Leaving something out isn't a verdict on every product that uses it. Plenty of good formulas contain silicones or sulfates. These are the choices we made about how we wanted our products to feel, and what we wanted to put in their place.

What goes in instead

Oils and butters, not silicones or mineral oil

Silicones and mineral oil are popular because they make skin feel smooth straight away. We get slip and softness from plant oils and butters instead: camellia, argan, jojoba, sweet almond, coconut and grape seed oils, with shea and cocoa butters.

That's why Hydrate Lotion is silky and lightweight, absorbs quickly and leaves no greasy or sticky finish. And it's why Nourishing Balm, our richest formula, is thick and buttery yet melts into skin.

Different cleansers, not sulfates

Sulfate-free doesn't mean cleanser-free. Something has to lift away oil and dirt. In Awaken Body Wash, that job goes to sodium lauroyl sarcosinate and cocamidopropyl betaine. The first name looks a lot like sodium lauryl sulfate, but they're different ingredients.

Together with jojoba, sweet almond and coconut oils, they make a silky, fluid wash with a soft lather rather than a mountain of foam. It cleanses without stripping, so skin feels soft afterwards, never tight. Renew Pine Scrub gets its foam from decyl glucoside and cocamidopropyl betaine.

Other preservatives, not parabens

Anything made with water needs a preservative so it stays in good condition once it's open and in use. So paraben-free doesn't mean preservative-free. All four MIKOA products use phenoxyethanol with ethylhexylglycerin, and the wash, scrub and lotion also use sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate. You'll find them towards the end of each ingredient list.

Pine wood to exfoliate

Renew Pine Scrub is a dry pine wood scrub, activated with water. Fine, dry pine wood does the exfoliating. Wet your hands, rub 1 to 2 teaspoons between your palms until it turns into a soft foam, massage over damp skin in circles, then rinse. Our guide to how to exfoliate your body properly covers how often to use it.

Scent from oils you can name

Many products list their scent as one word, "fragrance" or "parfum", which can stand for a blend of many ingredients. Our labels name each scent oil instead. On the back of Awaken, for example, you'll find mandarin peel, lavender, eucalyptus, lemon myrtle and geranium oils.

Renew smells of pine and grapefruit with lemon myrtle. Awaken is eucalyptus with mandarin, lemon myrtle and lavender. Hydrate is lemon myrtle and tangerine with a hint of rosewood, and Nourishing Balm is warm rosewood with a touch of bergamot.

Australian native botanicals

Alongside the oils and butters, each formula carries Australian native plants. Renew has Davidson Plum, Illawarra Plum and Tasmanian Pepperberry. Awaken has Kakadu Plum, Finger Lime and Lilli Pilli, with Kangaroo Paw and lemon myrtle. Hydrate has Kakadu Plum, Lilli Pilli and Davidson Plum. Nourishing Balm has Quandong and Kakadu Plum, with Davidson Plum and Tasmanian Pepperberry.

Not everything in the range is native, and we'd rather say so: the pine wood in Renew comes from silver fir (Abies alba), a European tree, and the rosewood in Hydrate and Nourishing Balm (Aniba rosaeodora) is a South American tree. If you want to know more about one of the natives, start with our piece on Kakadu Plum for skin.

Vegan, cruelty-free and non-GMO

Vegan means there are no animal-derived ingredients in the formula, so no beeswax, lanolin or animal fats. The butters are plant butters. Cruelty-free means our products aren't tested on animals. Non-GMO means the ingredients aren't genetically modified.

How to read any ingredient list

You don't need to take our word, or anyone's, for what's in a product. In Australia, cosmetics must carry an ingredient list, and under the national labelling standard, ingredients at 1% or more are listed in descending order by mass or volume, followed by those under 1% in any order (Product Safety Australia). A few tips that make this easier:

• Read the first five. They usually make up most of the product. Water (aqua) tops most lotions and washes. Renew is different: its list starts with pine wood, because it's a dry scrub.
• Look for the common name in brackets. Labels typically use standard international (INCI) names, often with the everyday name in brackets, such as "Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil".
• Position tells you more than the front of the pack. Percentages don't have to be shown, so an ingredient listed near the end is likely there in a small amount.
• Check how scent is listed. Either a single "fragrance" or "parfum", or individual oils by name.

What "made without" doesn't mean

It doesn't mean chemical-free. Everything is made of chemicals, water and coconut oil included. The useful question is which ones, and why they're there.

It doesn't mean every skin will agree with it. Plant oils, essential oils included, can still bother some people. If your skin reacts easily, try a small amount on your inner arm first and wait a day. If you have a skin condition, or a reaction that doesn't settle, see your GP or a dermatologist.

It doesn't make a product better by default. A short "made without" list is one part of the picture. How a product feels, how it smells and whether you want to use it every day matter just as much.

See the full ingredients

Every product page lists the full ingredients, so you can read them before you buy. If you'd like to try the whole range, the Complete Body Routine brings all four products together, boxed, for $162 ($188 if bought separately). For something smaller, have a look through Sets and Gifts. Standard shipping is free in Australia on orders from $150.