Where is Sky and Sol From? The China Confusion
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When I am considering buying a product, I typically want to ensure that the company that produces it is trustworthy, has a philosophy I align with, and is transparent. I’d say this is probably pretty common for people who either have strong ethical standards for their product choice and for a lot of people who are interested in natural living and supporting their body through specific types of products, because those thought processes both come from a core philosophy around why we use what we use.
Why do I mention this? When I make product recommendations, I want to ensure that I have done my due diligence to understand the product and the company that produces it for my own sake and so that I can confidently support a product and sleep at night knowing I am promoting something good to my readers and not just the latest trend or something that might make me money.
If you saw our previous review of Sky and Sol sunscreen and tallow products, you may have seen our concerns about their manufacturing and ownership. In fact, you may be here because of that post. Is Sky and Sol made in China? Is Sky and Sol a Chinese company? Does Sky and Sol have associations with products totally misaligned to the natural living world? Let’s get into it. Here’s what to expect from this article:
Why it may matter that Sky and Sol products are made in China
Are Sky and Sol products just made in China or is the company itself based in China?
Other products related to Sky and Sol’s parent company
Why would it matter that Sky and Sol products are made in China?
On a base level, the main concern I’ve seen is that products made in China are not subject to the same regulations and testing requirements as the US employs and therefore you may not be able to ensure the safety of the products as well. This is a valid concern that is somewhat difficult to research.
It is clear that regulations in the past were somewhat lacking in China, at least compared to the standards of the modern user. However, over the last 5 years, China has made a lot of updates to their laws around cosmetics and beauty products manufacturing that have improved their ability to ensure safety.
The key point in this concern is the ability to understand what ingredients are allowed in cosmetic products that are produced in China. Ingredient regulations basically work in a few categories: permitted, restricted (meaning there are limits to the concentration used in products), and prohibited. I searched high and low to find exactly what these rules are for ingredients of cosmetic products produced in China but could not find it. I know it exists out there because a couple people talk about it, but I’m not sure how accessible it is. As we’ve discussed, transparency is a big deal.
What I was able to find about recent updates made in 2022 is both promising and concerning. This report about the changes to changes to ingredient regulations in cosmetics manufacturing in China stated the following changes from a draft to the regulations in 2022:
Newly prohibited ingredients include, Mercury and its compounds, Boric acid, Borate, Tetraborate, 9-Hydrocyquinoline, Formaldehyde, Nitromethane, and Dichloromethane. 3-Benzylidene Camphor, an irritating UV filter, has also been prohibited.
These changes are great. They mean safer products. They also raise the question for me of what else is allowed in cosmetics production in China. Formaldehyde has long been understood to be harmful and is banned for use in cosmetics and hair straightening products in the EU, Canada, and Australia for quite a while. Unfortunately, formaldehyde-releasing preservatives are still widely allowed.
Shockingly enough, the US does not ban formaldehyde use in cosmetic products. I plan to cover the disappointing FDA regulations in depth in the future, but if you don’t know already, the US is far behind in some very legitimate concerns about toxic chemicals. Anyway, there are limits on the use of formaldehyde, but most agree that it should not be used at all.
It’s also unclear to me exactly what the regulations are for products made in China but not sold to Chinese audiences. China is notoriously strict on the testing of products sold to Chinese markets, including requirements for animal testing (which have loosened and many are still working to eliminate). It’s hard to tell if products manufactured but not sold there are subject to the same standards.
In any case, products imported to the US are required to be FDA regulations compliant, and the FDA states that they regularly test them for this. The clarity on how well this testing is done is unclear and, again, the FDA is NOT the best when it comes to product ingredient safety regulations.
So. Sky and Sol Chinese manufacturing may not end up being a big issue. However, because it is hard to really know the full picture, it is something I recommend users keep in mind.
Also understand there are probably several products you use that are manufactured in China, like some Tarte products, for instance. It’s not like Chinese manufacturing is some scary monster or that Sky and Sol’s off-shoring is uncommon. There can be other concerns, but from a safety standpoint, it may not matter that much.
There’s a little more to the picture though…
Is Sky and Sol an American company that makes its products in China or is it actually a Chinese company?
This is a question that didn’t even cross my mind while originally researching for my Sky and Sol review. Why would it? As I said, there is nowhere that suggest this company is based in China and their website claims they are based in Delaware. There are tons of companies that produce in China but are based in other countries.
So when I found this FDA report on Sky and Sol sunscreen I was a bit surprised. The report that tells us the product is “manufactured, distributed, or labeled by Guangzhou Fantesy Biotechnology Co.,Ltd.”
I dug a little deeper into this and found that this is a company registered and operating in China. The implications of this were unclear to me when I came across it, so I wanted to do some follow up research to make sure I understood it. My first thought when I read it was that this means Sky and Sol is really a Chinese company, not just an American company producing in China.
Again, Sky and Sol’s website also states that the company is based in and ships from Middletown, Delaware. The whole thing is just a bit confusing. So, I reached out to Sky and Sol yet again. This is what they said:
“While our mixing and bottling operations take place in China, Sky and Sol is a U.S.-based company. We use Guangzhou Fantesy Biotechnology Co., Ltd. because they have the specialized equipment needed to produce our sunscreen to the high standards we require.”
So, to clarify and settle any thoughts, Sky and Sol is an American company that simply manufactures their products through a Chinese company. As we discussed in our previous post on Sky and Sol, this is not an uncommon practice and, while carrying some important implications for consumers to consider, should not majorly, if at all, impact the quality of the product.
I will say, to the point mentioned in that article about the importance of zinc oxide sunblock testing, the use of a larger company could be an advantage. It’s fairly expensive to properly test sunscreen, so the use of a Chinese manufacturing company that does this for them is likely what allows Sky and Sol, a new company, to operate before they really take off. Maybe we will see them move their operations to the US in the future, we’ll have to see.
Other products related to Sky and Sol’s parent company
The part that was perhaps the most confusing is that if you google “Guangzhou Fantesy Biotechnology Co., Ltd.”, you find them on Alibaba (a Chinese owned, online wholesale marketplace for bulk ordering) with several products that don’t really align with the philosophy seen all over the Sky and Sol website.
They have many skincare products under a few different labels, including labels that appear to be trying to mimic brands like La Roche Posay, CeraVe, and Eucerin. A lot of their products also look designed for individuals to put their own logo on and sell as their own. Both of these things are a bit sketchy to me and I don’t love it. It’s not necessarily wrong, but again, off brand for Sky and Sol. However, all of the products that I can see do appear to be made with natural ingredients, so at least there is some consistency in that.
The few products I really take issue with beyond what I’ve mentioned are their products marketed for skin whitening. Keep in mind, skin whitening products are popular in several parts of Asia, including China, where we’ve already established this manufacturing company appears to be located. However, these kinds of products are not considered to be good for you, nor necessary, and by a lot of communities, frowned upon.
But again, to clarify, Guangzhou Fantesy Biotechnology Co., Ltd. is not Sky and Sol. They are simply their manufacturers. I would still find it odd if Sky and Sol were using a manufacturing company that produced other products so far outside of their product and ingredient philosophies, but most of the products do have a natural bent. Personally, I can’t fault Sky and Sol for the few products that are a little out of line.
What does this mean for Sky and Sol products?
Again, Sky and Sol does not equal their manufacturing company. I think the manufacturer they choose is very important, and aside from a few odd products and their offshoring (which is not a personal favorite), I don’t see any major concerns. I would love to see Sky and Sol produced in the US or Western Europe some day and I do wish Sky and Sol were a little more transparent about all these details, but the current set-up wouldn’t necessarily keep me from using their products.
Overall, I would say Sky and Sol products seem solid, and their choice of manufacturing company, aside from if you have concerns about them being located in China, seems decent.
I feel confident about the formulation of their products and the user experience so far seems to support the safety and efficacy. I would use these products myself if I could afford them (haha…). I have my eye on it for a really quality face sunscreen option. I love tallow, I love zinc oxide sunscreen, and these products seem incredible.
If your manufacturing concerns have been settled, you can use the code FAMILEE to get 10% off your purchase. Like I said, these products seem really great and aside from Chinese manufacturing (which I’ve explained may not be a massive issue) and their high price tag, I have no hesitations about them.
Summary / TLDR
Sky and Sol products are produced in China. This may not impact the quality or safety of the product, but it is something to keep in mind. Though their manufacturer makes other products that are not my favorite (apparent dupes and a couple skin whitening products), they are all made with natural ingredients that fully lines up with Sky and Sol’s ingredient philosophy.
If you read my review of Sky and Sol sunscreen and other products from my previous post, you saw that I generally would recommend their products just based on their formulation because they are very clean and, based on user reports, appear effective. Now I can confidently say I more or less trust their choice of manufacturing company as well, though I would love to see them move their operations to the US when they get bigger.
I’ll add that I’m very pleased with Sky and Sol’s response to my numerous questions about all these issues. Though I wish some of this was clearer on their website, it’s great that they at least will honestly answer questions they’ve received.
If you’re interested in trying Sky and Sol products, you can use code FAMILEE to get 10% off and make the purchase slightly more friendly for the wallet.
I hope you found this content helpful! If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to shoot me an email. If you would like to receive more of this content, stay tuned for future posts and join our newsletter. I currently send monthly newsletters with the most recent posts as well as news and updates on all things holistic health and natural wellness.
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