Here's what you won't find in our products 

• Essential oils that are toxic to dogs, such as wintergreen oil, ylang ylang, and tea tree oil.  Read more here.  Unfortunately, several paw balms and even a pet muscle rub on the market today do contain these ingredients.
  Pup tip: always check labels before giving anything or applying anything to your pup!
  
• Cocoa butter.  Theobromine (found in chocolate) is highly toxic to dogs in doses as low as 20 mg / kg. Cocoa butter is widely considered to have only trace amounts of theobromine, but one study found it present at levels of 140 mg / kg in cocoa butter. So while a competitor has included it in their paw wax, we'd rather not take any chances! Read more
• Comfrey. All indications are that this ingredient is no longer considered safe, yet we also found it in one of the paw waxes being sold today.  The pyrrolizidine alkaloids in comfrey are likely to end up ingested by an auto- or allo-groomer (Buchness MR. Alternative medicine and dermatology. Seminars in Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery. 1998;17(4):284-290)
• Ingredients that harm the environment. Not only are our ingredients safe for the environment, but we are in the midst of developing a Reuse & Rebate program for our customers who buy the glass jars that hold the Original and Luxe formulas.
• Ingredients that do not have a long history of safe usage in dogs. Several clinical studies on CBD oil usage in dogs are underway.  We will pay close attention as clinical knowledge in this area evolves, and we will wait for more definitive evidence before considering it for our products.
• Petrolatum-derived ingredients such as mineral oils and paraffin wax that are known to accumulate in dogs' bodies over time. Mineral oils are often touted as "all natural" or labeled as "white oils," including by a paw wax market leader. In fact, mineral oil is by-product in the distillation of petroleum and used to produce petroleum-based products from crude oil.  It is not known what the long term health effects are of gradual accumulation of mineral oil and petroleum in dogs. Mineral oil and other petroleum-based products can be contaminated with a cancer-causing impurity called 1,4-dioxane. Studies show that this chemical readily penetrates skin. The National Toxicology Program considers it a known animal carcinogen.  Although companies can easily remove it from ingredients during manufacture, tests documenting its common presence in products show that they often don't, leaving their customers at risk for potential chronic and widespread exposures to this cancer-causing compound. These trace contaminants in petroleum-based ingredients often readily penetrate the skin according to government and industry studies, and their presence in products is not restricted by government safety standards — they are legal at any level. Read more
• Carnauba wax.  This one is on our avoid list due to notable human rights violations in the supply chain
• Perfumes and fragrances. Not only do they irritate dogs' sensitive noses when inhaled, they can even lead to nausea and abdominal pain. When used in products that are applied topically, allergic reactions can result, which may result in redness of the skin, itching or biting at the affected area.
• Ineffective ingredients.  Need we say more?  We truly believe we have the most effective formula on the market!