Elsan Ekopaja in Heinola has a soap team of three nurses. Elsan Ekopaja produces ecological bar products for people, animals and cleaning from local ingredients.
Photo: Soap team from right: Jenni Äijälä, Aliisa Seppänen and Mari Tiira
The author is Mari Tiira, founder of Elsan Ekopaja.
I am Mari Tiira, the founder of Elsan Ekopaja, and I love animals. We have two dogs and 10 silkie chickens. The well-being of pets is very important to me, and with my dog Hessu, I had to delve deeper into canine nutrition and coat and skin care.
The first dog shampoo was born out of necessity
I developed Elsan Ekopaja's first dog shampoo for the needs of our beloved angel dog, Hessu. Hessu was an American Cocker Spaniel, and his coat was long and fast-growing. This breed's coat is cared for and detangled by washing it every few weeks and blow-drying it straight and tangle-free. The coat is trimmed every couple of months. The quality of the coat poses its own challenges to the skin underneath. With Hessu, this manifested as severe itching and flaking. For the first six years of Hessu's life, I tried dozens of different shampoo products, and with each one, his skin reacted differently.
Some shampoos worsened the itching tremendously; others caused bloody rashes immediately after washing. It was terrible to see my beloved dog suffer from something as essential as bathing. His long coat matted easily in winter, especially on his paws and armpits, and it felt impossible to detangle without washing. Eventually, I ended up shaving Hessu's coat completely short with clippers every spring, and it would grow back for winter. Even with a short coat, I had to wash Hessu frequently, as his skin flaked and itched terribly.
I couldn't find a single decent and effective shampoo for Hessu in six years. The itching was sometimes very severe, and I would even wake up at night to Hessu scratching. That's why I developed a suitable product for Hessu myself.
What do they say about dog washing products in Sweden?
The Swedish magazine Råd & Rön took a closer look at dog washing products. They tested the 20 most common dog shampoos on the market and made many observations.
Screenshot: Swedish TV4 interviewed the editor of Råd&rön magazine on their morning TV program.
Elsan Ekopaja's products were born out of personal need
Three years ago, I started developing products for my daughter's atopic skin. Anna's skin reacted strongly to laundry detergents in her clothes. I had tried dozens of detergents for Anna's clothes, and only one of the detergents on the market did not cause irritation. I mixed my own laundry powder from cleaning soap I made and developed safe soaps, creams, and bar shampoos. My daughter's skin has not had problems for three years.
At that time, I wondered why I couldn't formulate a shampoo for the sensitive skin of my dog Hessu as well? I tried a few different shampoo recipes, and we tested them together with Hessu and a dog testing group. A perfect recipe was found that completely changed Hessu's life. The itching and flaking stopped completely, and regular washing with Calming Bar helped prevent skin problems. It was wonderful to have a calm dog in my arms after washing.
Our recipe was safe for both humans and animals. We soon began developing a complete product line for dogs and made interesting observations about the dog care product industry and its wild regulations, which were created for toilet bowl cleaners.
Regulations are not for dog safety
We wanted to comply with all safety regulations set for animal products. However, our feelings were mixed when we received more information about the legislation concerning animal products from Tukes (the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency).
Photo: Pekka, Siru and Pepe
But first, a little background on the safety regulations for human cosmetic products in the European Union:
When a new product is brought to the European market, it first undergoes a safety assessment by an external expert. The expert determines the product's INCI listing, which also includes all possible allergens. The expert knows which chemicals are on the list of allowed substances. They also have information on what concentrations, for example, essential oils can be included in cosmetic products. In human products containing fragrances, the labeling often includes, for example, Limonene, Linalool, etc., right at the end of the INCI list. These are allergens that are not added to the product but are found in fragrances and essential oils. From this list, it is easy for human consumers to find allergens that irritate them, if they are aware of them. Sounds perfectly safe, doesn't it?
Image: Silkkitipu bar shampoo's INCI listing, showing allergens contained in essential oil. From these, a person can check the product's suitability for themselves.
Let's move on to the regulations for animal products: This is the answer I received from Tukes' experts when developing the products.
Chemical legislation is generally applied to household cleaning products, and the chemicals in cleaning products can be very harsh on human skin, requiring skin protection with gloves during cleaning. The legislation, therefore, does not care what gets on your dog's skin, let alone that owners washing their dogs are exposed to these chemicals. These chemicals can be fragrances, overly harsh surfactants, allergenic preservatives, and even in shampoo for white coats, bleaching agents such as hydrogen peroxide or ammonia!
Image: Dog Pepe
What do dog owners think?
At Elsan Ekopaja, we decided to conduct market research. We asked ordinary dog owners what they thought about scented dog shampoos.
Based on our survey, one-third of dog washers desire a mild scent in dog shampoo. 2/3 believe that there are enough scented products, but unscented dog shampoo is harder to find. Some dog owners are sensitive to scents, and if a dog has been washed with a scented shampoo, its proximity can be too much after washing.
Dog owners are increasingly concerned and aware of the problems in the dog shampoo market. A dog breeder living in Sweden came to our shop full of worry after seeing the dog shampoo scandal mentioned above on television. This breeder got to test Pepe shampoo in advance and was so convinced after one washing experience that she brought Pepe bar shampoo as gifts for all her dog progeny in Sweden.
We have also received feedback on Calming Bar, our first dog product. All the feedback is amazing, and the only thing many wanted to change was the scent. Based on our survey, we decided to produce a completely unscented product line.
What did we, as nurses, want to do better?
My Dogs care series
Thank you, Dogs of My Life, for your inspiration and love.
