We are excited to announce the opening of our new website for Happy Elephant! Happy Elephant is a completely new type of ecologically sustainable home cleaning products made with SOPHOROLIPID, a special cleaning agent made from natural yeast and sustainable palm oil. All ingredients are natural and food-based. We created Happy Elephant out of the hope that each household can contribute to the safety, happiness and future of the wildlife in the rainforest. 1% of sales are donated to the Borneo Conservation Trust to develop a Green Corridor along the rivers of Borneo for a sustainable future of biodiversity in the rain forest. Please visit the website to learn more about Happy Elephant!

We are pleased to announce the new release of Happy Elephant Laundry Liquid in March 2014, a highly biodegradable detergent formulated with a unique, groundbreaking natural cleansing agent known as "sophorolipid". It is safe to wash clothes for people with sensitive skin and babies because Happy Elephant does not have skin irritant agents such as petroleum-based surfactants, fluorescent whiteners, bleaches, colors and synthetic fragrances. While being gentle on the environment and skin, Happy Elephant has a detergency as strong as synthetic detergents. The gentle scent of natural lavender and tea tree essential oils is perfect for those who find synthetic fragrances too strong or irritating. Happy Elephant uses RSPO certified sustainable palm oil.

We hope Happy Elephant Laundry Liquid will make your laundry time happier!

Saraya Co., Ltd. is announcing a new product line up, arau.baby + (arau.baby Plus), which joined the arau. series family of additive-free natural home, body and baby care products this March. arau.baby + takes the concept of gentle plant ingredients and synthetic-free ingredients and builds on it with gentle baby skincare moisturizing lotion. Saraya is bringing more natural, additive-free products to support baby care needs.

arau.baby + Moisturizing Lotion is being released as the first item in the arau.baby + series, which was developed in response to Japanese mothers' requests for baby care needs and price. Baby's young skin is half the thickness of adults' skin and has less protecting moisture and sebum. arau.baby + Moisturizing Lotion contains sophorolipid, developed by Saraya is a natural and gentle cleaning agent made from a unique process of fermenting raw palm oil. As with the rest of arau. and arau.baby products, it is free of synthesized surfactants and other skin-irritating chemicals such as preservatives, alcohol, synthesized fragrances and colors. In addition, it is adjusted to the natural pH of the skin to prevent irritation. Moisturizing comes from a balanced amount of natural ingredients such as organic lavender oil, olive-derived squalane, jojoba seed oil and macadamia nut oil for the perfect thickness that leaves no sticky feeling on the skin.

Please try arau.baby + Moisturizing Lotion. We are confident that you and your baby will love it!

Saraya Canada Co., Ltd. exhibited at the Natural Products Expo West 2014 held in Anaheim, CA, USA from March 7th to 9th, which is the largest natural, organic, and healthy products trade show, bringing over 67,000 industry members.

Our Monk Fruit extract sweetener "Lakanto" was displayed with a new design logo and banner. As people nowadays give more and more special attention to a natural sweetener in the North American market, our Lakanto had great reactions from professionals.

We would like to thank everybody who visited us at our booth.

Our Lakanto products and detailed information are available at https://lakanto.ca/

We are pleased to announce the new release of Kitchen Alpet in March 2014. Kitchen Alpet is an environmentally friendly alcohol sanitizer made from natural ingredients for household use. Alpet has been used in the food sanitation field for years because of its reliable quality in restaurants, supermarkets, hotels and convenience stores. Some people may think food poisoning is only the threat in retail food outlets such as restaurants and supermarkets, however, food poisoning risks lurk in our own kitchens as well. Saraya is releasing the reliability and safety of professional Alpet as Kitchen Alpet in home decor packaging.

Kitchen Alpet has a high antibacterial effect, removing 99.99% of viruses and bacteria, without the need to rinse or wipe off after spraying on kitchen equipment, containers and surfaces. The secret is 100% food-grade ingredients, making it safe to use in the kitchen on direct food contact surfaces. Palm-derived botanical antibacterial aid glycerin-fatty acid ester is formulated to bring out the maximum antibacterial effect of food-safe ethyl alcohol. Adjusted pH neutral, Kitchen Alpet can be used on metal knives and stainless sinks without the risk of corrosion or rusting.

Enjoy safe and happy cooking with Kitchen Alpet!

Saraya (Shanghai) Biotech Co., Ltd. is pleased to announce our participation in the China Beauty Expo 2014, taking place in the Shanghai New International Expo Center from May 7 to 9. The all-new Cocopalm hair care series will be on display together with our most popular products Arau, Arau Baby, Happy Elephant and the famous Yashinomi series. Cocopalm is a massage hair care series created with the essence of a tropical spa resort. We are excited to introduce Cocopalm to the Chinese market and looking forward to having you at our booth at W3M20!

For more on the China Beauty Expo, please go to https://www.chinabeautyexpo.com/en/homepage.html

SARAYA is proud to announce that Lakanto has been selected as a superior tasting natural and sugar-free sweetener by the American Masters of Taste. Lakanto is the sugar-like natural sweetener made from Lakanka fruit (also known as Luo Han Guo or Monk Fruit) extract with 0 calories and no artificial ingredients. Our customers and partners always tell us Lakanto is the best tasting all-natural zero-calorie sweetener they have ever tried, but when a group representing America's top chefs found Lakanto to be a superior product, we were truly honored. The American Masters of Taste judging panel agreed that Lakanto has two all-natural sweeteners that are superior in taste and offer a great alternative to typical sugar replacements.

We would like to thank you for your support of Lakanto and hope that more and more people try this tasty sugar-free natural sweetener. Lakanto can help lead a happy and healthy life!

SARAYA is pleased to announce that Lakanto has finally achieved Halal certification. Lakanto Golden 10kg, Lakanto Classic 10kg and 3g x 30 (former Lakanto White) are all now certified. The Halal certificate is accredited to products that are confirmed to be free of ingredients that are not allowed in Islamic dietary law. The Muslim population accounts for nearly one-quarter of the world's population which equals 1.7 to 2 billion people! We thought it was very unfortunate that a quarter of the world could not enjoy our healthy and tasty natural sweetener Lakanto. We are very pleased that we can finally introduce Lakanto to the Muslim and Halal community. We hope everybody around the world can have a healthy, tasty, sugar-free Lakanto and a happy life!

SARAYA is pleased to announce the opening of the Ayurspa brand website. Ayurspa is the hair care series that uses Ayurvedic herbs and oils found in India and acts on damaged hair. The series features a head massage lotion so you can perform an invigorating traditional Indian head massage called Shirodhara at home to improve blood circulation in your scalp. It is also said to promote the health of the brain, skin and hair. The Ayurspa series is perfect for those who prefer natural products since it is free of additives such as paraben, animal oils, mineral oils and colors.

We hope you enjoy a relaxing, oriental bath time at home with the Ayurspa series! 

UPDATE: The Ayurspa series has been discontinued as of 2019.

SARAYA is pleased to announce the release of the new no-touch foam soap dispenser ELEFOAM2.0.

SARAYA has been the pioneer of handwashing since 1952 when we developed Japan's first antibacterial liquid soap and its dispenser. Over 60 years after that, we have created ELEFOAM2.0 no-touch foam soap dispenser to bring the best in handwashing with style. The ELEFOAM2.0 reduces the risk of cross-contamination with its no-touch sensor activation. This is our most stylish and compact dispenser that deserves to be seen in any home or public restroom.

Keep your hands clean and enjoy a healthy life with ELEFOAM 2.0!

We are pleased to announce the new release of Happy Elephant Toilet Cleaner and Bathroom Cleaner in September 2014. Happy Elephant is a series of highly biodegradable petroleum-free detergents formulated with a unique, groundbreaking natural cleansing agent known as "sophorolipid". Also, RSPO certified palm oil is used, Happy Elephant is the detergent with an innovative concept that considers both the environment and human right.

Happy Elephant Toilet Cleaner and Bathroom Cleaner are, of course, 100% botanical detergent made with natural cleaning agents including palm oil and sophorolipid. No petroleum-based surfactants, synthetic fragrances and colors are added so highly biodegradable but powerfully works on touch stains. The mild fragrance of natural essential oils leaves a pleasant scent after cleaning.

With Happy Elephant Toilet Cleaner and Bathroom Cleaner, your daily cleaning will be happier and gentler!

Saraya Co., Ltd. exhibited in the HKTDC Food Expo from August 14 to 18, 2014 in Hong Kong. The expo serves as a showcase for a wide variety of quality food products from all over the world and attracted more than 460,000 public visitors this year. SARAYA displayed Lakanto, our delicious natural sugar substitute with zero calories. We have received positive feedback more than ever expected as health consciousness increases in Hong Kong. Luo Han Guo, the main ingredient of Lakanto, has been used for Chinese medicine so it is very familiar to the Greater China region. We hope that Lakanto will play the role to help improve the well-being of people from Greater China and the rest of the world!

Saraya Canada would like to thank all of those at CHFA West 2015 who visited our booth on April 11 and 12th. CHFA West is one of the largest conferences in Western Canada for natural products. This year was an exciting event, where we displayed our delicious Lakanto Chocolate. This line of sweets is made with our zero-calorie natural sweetener LAKANTO and contains organic, dairy-free cocoa. Visitors were amazed by the great flavor and natural ingredients. We were happy to hear feedback regarding Lakanto Chocolate's great taste while being sugar-free and made with healthy ingredients. We are looking forward to providing Lakanto Chocolate to all the customers we met at CHFA and many more to come!

Canada is continuing to recognize the Lakanto trend, and two-morning news programs reported on the great uses for Lakanto as a zero-glycemic sweetener. Check out the videos before to see Lakanto and other great-looking healthy foods to help you kick off 2017 right.

Breakfast Television Calgary http://www.btcalgary.ca/videos/2017-health-food-trends/
CTV Ottawa Morning News http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1041545&binId=1.1164511&playlistPageNum=1

arau. and arau.baby laundry products were recognized by Oh! Pama magazine as one of the most popular brands in Hong Kong.

Ohpama, is the number 1 most popular website in Hong Kong for reliable baby and childcare related information. Belonging to the Toshima newspaper group with 80 years of publishing history in Hong Kong, USA, Canada and Australia, Ohpama is a great source of information for parents.

Ohpama brings together articles written by educational specialists, experienced teachers, and popular childcare bloggers to create Hong Kong's No.1 Childcare Information Media Site. The number of unique monthly visitors is about 1 million and exceeds 8 million page views.

Hong Kong citizens and 10 childcare experts named Arau and Arau Baby the best products for laundry and baby care.

Many know Lakanto as a natural sweetener that allows us to enjoy our desserts and coffee in a healthier, sugarless way. But Lakanto doesn’t stop there. In recent years, we have been expanding our line of healthy products, be it through delicious foods or refreshing drinks.

One of these “new” products is the Lakanto Umeshu. Made with Lakanto’s natural sweetness (derived from the Monk fruit), it’s a sugarless, 30% fewer calories, 14% alcohol drink. With no artificial preservatives, acidifiers, flavors, or colors, it is the perfect drink for health and diet-conscious customers.

On the 15th of September, the Tasting Trendies Sake Awards ceremony [TTSA 2018] was held in Hong Kong. Lakanto Umeshu was recognized for its quality and flavor,  winning the Silver Award both In the Expert Group and the User Group.

A toast to these results, and for the ones yet to come.

TTAS Facebook group
Wine Discovery home page

SARAYA has announced the opening of its own showroom restaurant for natural sweetener Lakanto. The shop's grand opening will be on the 30th of November, in Jingumae, Tokyo (Shibuya). 

The shop is called Lakan-ka (らかん・果; lakanka is the Japanese name for monk fruit) and offers a relaxing cafe and dining experience centered around a delicious and healthy menu that demonstrates the versatility and natural sweetness of the monk fruit. 

Monk fruit or Luo Han Guo, as it is more traditionally known, is a fruit of the cucurbitaceae family native to Guilin in China, and has been used as traditional herbal medicine since ancient times due to its medicinal effects, being called the “godfather of longevity”. Because of this, Luo Han Guo has gained attention recently in Europe and the United States as a “superfood”. From the fresh fruit of Luo Han Guo we can obtain a high purity extract 300 times sweeter than regular sugar.

In 1995, we launched the zero-calorie, natural sweetener “Lakanto”, and we aim to serve a diverse range of customers: from those who care about their sugar intake in the daily life, to diabetics, to people realizing a diet. Lakanto is a way of lowering the consumption in carbohydrates substituting sugar for a tasty, natural alternative, something that has gained popularity in recent years with like Keto or Low-Carb diets. Consumers are being more conscious of their health, and not only are they looking for foods that keep them healthy, but also for ones that satisfy their palate.

In all the dishes offered at Lakan-ka, no sugar is used, just Lakanto. You can enjoy sweets and confectionery handmade by Asako Iwayani (of the "PÂTISSERIE ASAKO IWAYANAGI”), meal boxes, and a delicious sushi menu.

[Store Details]

Name: Lakan-ka
Adress: 〒 150-0001 Burenowa-ruaoyama Bld., 3-7-8, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-0001, Japan
Access: Tokyo metro Gaienmae station 7 minutes on foot. Tokyo metro Omotesando station 10 minutes on foot
Tel： 03-6447-1805
URL： http://www.lakan-ka.jp/
Opening Hours： 11:00am~9:00pm (L.O. 8:30） irregular holidays
Opening Day: Friday, November 30, 2018

Yashinomi Premium Power has been selected for the “JIDA Design Museum Selection Vol.20” by the Japan Industrial Designers Association, which will be held at the AXIS Gallery in Tokyo from January 17 to 22.

“Yashinomi Premium Power”, based on concepts such as “gentle to the skin”, “high biodegradability”, and “no fragrances or colors”, was designed by Mr. Chiaki Murata, a product designer active at a national and international level, with the idea of creating an “easy and clean” and “eco-friendly” product, where every pouch could be easily swapped in a hygienically, waste-less way. In addition, it has a beautiful design that would compliment any kitchen, with a transparent pouch that shows how much liquid remains.

Yashinomi Premium Power was selected as an excellent product to leave to future generations based on the following criteria:

• A product that suits the plan and management of the museum
• A product that exists due to the demands of current society
• A first-generation product that leads the market
• A product that embodies its development process
• A product that proposes a lifestyle that wasn’t possible before
• A product that suggests a new life through the use of new technology
• Simplicity that allows the product to speak on its own
• Styling that proposes something new

Mr. Chiaki Murata, product designer

Murata was born in Sakaiminato, Tottori, 1959. and joined Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. after graduating from the Osaka City University, Faculty of Engineering, Applied Physics Department in 1982.

Afterward, he established Hers Experimental Design Laboratory, Inc. in 1986, and was involved in a wide range of design activities, especially in the product design field.

METAPHYS, a brand-sharing consortium brand that Murata established, has won more than 50 domestic and international design awards, such as Good Design Special Award, DFA Grand Prix, Red Dot BEST OF BEST, and the German Design Award.

Visiting professor of KOBE DESIGN UNIVERSITY. Adjunct instructor of KYUSHU UNIVERSITY. Started in 2011 at the graduate school of KYOTO UNIVERSITY OF ART AND DESIGN, SDI (Social Design Institute), which aims to solve social problems through design. Published “A Textbook for social design” (JAPAN PRODUCTIVITY CENTER) and “A Textbook for social design” (CCC Media house).

What is the JIDA Design Museum Selection

The Japan Industrial Designers Association established the JIDA Design Museum as a living museum with the goal of conserving “past, present, and future - passing on to tomorrow” designs which are an important part of 20th-century culture. The JIDA Design Museum actively preserves products and related materials, which are the result of creative activities of industrial designers and engineers, for the next generations. The judges include editors-in-chief of several well-known design magazines, which conduct examinations each year, selecting outstanding domestic and international products.

Click here to see the winners at the Design Museum Selection Vol.20 (Japanese)

At SARAYA, while developing infection prevention solutions in both the medical and food fields, we noticed the effectiveness of collagen peptides (marine oligopeptide) for recovering from skin injuries such as bedsores. 

Using this research, we introduced a line of sports supplement gels under the Gains brand name. Gains is for athletes who need to supplement their training, and it complements our ever-growing line of healthy foods. These jelly drinks (and other healthy foods in the line-up) contain peptides, which are absorbed by the body in a more effective way than just simple proteins or amino acids.

Gains Extreme Sports Jelly contains 10,000mg of two kinds of low molecular weight peptides. Corn oligopeptide rich in BCAA (valine, leucine, and isoleucine), an essential amino acid that is effective in recovery, is combined with collagen peptide, which helps muscles and joints. In addition, it combines Vitamin B and C, which are necessary for metabolizing energy, helping improve its performance.

Photo by Steven Lelham

Assuring that what you consume is safe

When competing in sports with strict regulations, and with the approach of the Tokyo Olympics, athletes tend to worry about what they are putting in their bodies. This is especially difficult when we are talking about products with many complicated ingredients.

Informed Choice is a quality assurance program for sports nutrition products, suppliers to the sports nutrition industry, and supplement manufacturing facilities. Following the prohibited substances list specified by WADA (World Anti-Doping Organization), it’s a monitoring program that certifies that a supplement product and/or raw material that bears the Informed-Choice logo has been ‘skip-lot’ tested (tested at least on a monthly basis) for banned substances by LGC’s world-class sports anti-doping lab.

Gains Extreme Sports Jelly recently obtained this certification, showcasing that it does not include any doping ingredients and that what you are consuming is a product that is safe for your body. This provides peace of mind to the user whether they are amateurs or top athletes. 

Gains products are available all over Japan.

• http://pro.saraya.com/saraya-sports-recovery/gains/ (in Japanese)
• https://www.informed-choice.org/

Jojoba oil is a liquid obtained naturally by cold pressing jojoba seeds from the jojoba tree Simmondsia Chinensis,  which provides an oil (or rather liquid wax) used mainly in cosmetics. It is less sticky and greasy than other oils, so it can be used not only on the body, but also on hair, scalp, and face. Used without any refining, mixed with other substances or just as-is, it penetrates into the skin well and prevents bacterial growth, making it even suitable as a medicine. Another interesting fact is that Jojoba oil has nearly replaced animal fats in the manufacture of skin cosmetics, gaining in popularity in opposition to whale oil, which was the traditional base of many face and skin products.

Where is Jojoba oil cultivated?

Even if its scientific name is Simmondsia Chinensis, the plant is not native to China but America. Nowadays, Jojoba is cultivated in desert and semi-desert areas in the USA, Latin America countries, Australia, Israel, starting more recently in Egypt.

In collaboration with the University of Osaka, SARAYA is planting good-quality seedlings of jojoba, fighting desertification. We are as well promoting local employment in Egypt through a sustainable and stable cultivation and harvesting process, contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly goals 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 13 (Climate Action) and 15 (Life on Land).

The benefits of Jojoba Oil 

Jojoba oil is unique compared to other vegetable oils. It has similarities with sebum (a waxy substance produced by our skin glands) which makes it non-comedogenic and hypoallergenic as it acts as a natural skin conditioner suitable for all skin types! Also anti-allergenic and non-acnegenic, it is used commonly to treat acne and psoriasis.

Known also to be a carrier oil for essential oil uses, such as making skin and hair products, it’s actually an effective skin moisturizer and healer on its own. As a nutritious oil, with vitamins E and B, as well as having antioxidants that soothe dry skin, makes it really effective against sunburn and chapped skin. That’s why we use it in some of our products like Arau Baby Moisturizing Cream.

Lighter than other oils, Jojoba is deeply hydrating,  making it a perfect moisturizer ingredient and one of the best allies to slow down the signs of aging and fight against wrinkles.

For all its advantages Jojoba oil is frequently used in aromatherapy. In 2018 Saraya launched his own range of  "Golden Jojoba Oil", rich in natural vitamins D and E, great for moisturizing your skin and hair, massages and as a bath oil.

And by the way, we should pronounce it ho-ho-ba, but no worries if you can’t say it well, you will still benefit from it!

Summer is coming and we all want our beach body! But in reality, more than looks, we should be worrying about our health, especially with overweight becoming a serious matter of public health over the years. In the last 50 years, the number of obese or overweight people has tripled to reach in 2016 over 1.9 billion according to the WHO. Regular physical activity and a healthy diet are the only way to improve our health, something that is even more important if you are suffering an illness or disease, like diabetes.

Experts agree that a good step towards a healthy life is the reduction of sugar consumption, which has overtaken fat as the usual culprit in obesity. Consumers need to be careful of the amount eaten, while the food industry needs to reduce its use or substitute it for healthier alternatives. But, is sugar that overused? And what other alternatives are there available?

Sugar...everywhere?

Indeed, you can find a lot of added sugars in processed foods and drinks. A single 330ml Cola soft-drink has around 35g or 7 teaspoons of sugar. Meanwhile, “healthy” solutions like energy bars can easily sneak up to 25g of sugar. To put it into perspective, the WHO recommends adults and children reduce their daily intake of free sugars to less than 10% of their total energy intake, stating also than a further reduction to below 5% or roughly 25 grams (6 teaspoons) per day would provide additional health benefits.

Even if you are the type of person that just likes to pick snacks without worrying about counting calories, you should be careful of the sugar amount you are consuming, since its not only the cause of weight gain but may also increase your risk of heart disease, acne, diabetes, cancer or even depression. To avoid counting sugar spoons when pouring coffee, a solution apart from avoiding sugar completely is the use of a sugar substitute.

What are the alternatives to sugar?

A sugar substitute is a food additive that provides a sweet taste like that of sugar while containing significantly less food energy than sugar-based sweeteners, making it a zero-calorie or low-calorie sweetener. Broadly, we can divide them between artificial and natural sweeteners depending on its origins. Let’s see what those different sweeteners can offer us.

Artificial Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners are obtained by chemical synthesis and basically consist of 5 different types: saccharin, acesulfame, aspartame, neotame, and sucralose, this last one being the most popular,  accounting for almost 30% of the sweeteners used in food and beverages worldwide. The main issue with these non-natural products is that we don’t have a clear view yet on their side effects. Many studies are held in order to clarify the situation, and the results end many times in inconclusive results, some reporting negative effects, while other experts defending that they are safe sweeteners for your health. Another inconvenience is that regular consumption of artificial sweeteners can create a craving for more sweet products, having a stimulating effect on appetite.

Natural sweeteners

Contrary to artificial sweeteners we have natural sweeteners, derived from a natural source, avoiding a high chemical processing. We can divide them in with or without calories.

Sweeteners with calories:

• Instead of using sugar, why not use natural products that are sweet? Natural yogurt, fruit jams, honey, maple syrup… all these options can provide the necessary sweetness to your coffee and dishes. They normally carry vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants that will make it better than just regular, plain sugar. They do still carry calories and carbohydrates, so just switching from sugar to these options may not fix anything if you don’t reduce the amount. If going this route, always buy organic, healthy options.
• Date Sugar, which is actually granulated dried dates, is many times used as a brown sugar alternative. Containing plenty of fiber, minerals, and antioxidants, is indeed a better alternative, but as a significant source of simple carbohydrates and calories, caution is advised. Another inconvenience is that it doesn’t melt or dissolve like sugar, limiting its use.
• Coconut Sugar, made from the sweet nectar of flower buds of the coconut palm, is a good source of potassium, iron, and vitamins. Providing the same amount of calories and carbohydrates as regular sugar, it may not be a good alternative for those looking to start a diet.
• Agave Nectar, extracted from the agave plant native to the southern US, Latin America, and South America, was traditionally believed to have healing properties, so it has been marketed as a natural sweetener (it does have a natural origin in the end). In reality, due to being an extremely processed process of creation, making it high in fructose and maybe a worse alternative than even consuming sugar.
• Other low-calorie sweeteners include Yacon Syrup, Xylitol, and Erythritol. All really low in calories, their main problems are aftertaste (Erythritol) and indigestion (Yacon Syrup and Xylitol) in some cases.

Sweeteners without calories:

For those looking for a natural alternative that has no calories, these options basically get reduced to two:

• Stevia, extracted from the leaves of a plant called Stevia Rebaudiana, was used by native South Americans and contains zero calories and zero carbohydrates. Hundreds of times sweeter than sugar, you can use it like regular sugar, and even bake with it. There is no evidence showing that it causes any harmful side effects, but some people do report that is difficult to digest and has a slight effect on lowering blood pressure. The may complain of Stevia is its strong metallic aftertaste, which does vary from brand to brand.

• Monk fruit, also called Luo Han Guo, finds its origins in Southeast Asia. The fruit's extract contains substances called mogrosides, which are intensely sweet. With zero calorie and zero carbohydrates, it also is an antioxidant, has no effect on blood sugar at all, and you can incorporate it into all your recipes without any problems. Its main drawback is that some people may find its taste unusual, and some manufacturers, to balance its sweetness, mix it with ingredients that change the sweetener's nutritional profile.

In the end, no matter what sweetener you choose, just like any food, the most important thing is moderation. And yes, you should be able to treat yourself with something sweet from time to time.

The Lakanto Solution

Saraya produces its own monk fruit sweetener named Lakanto which is the only zero-calorie, zero-glycemic sweetener that is just like sugar and leaves no aftertaste.

Made from Monk Fruit and Erythritol, we still grow and harvest the fruit in the same original pristine area where it is from, respecting the traditional and environmental methods of cultivation. We believe that Lakanto is the perfect replacement sugar for people suffering from diabetes or doing a low-carb diet.

So if you are vegan, doing a keto diet, or you are just searching for a gluten-free solution, we think we can help you.

And for those visiting Japan and still in doubt, we recently opened a Lakanto Cafe & Dining called Lakan-Ka in Tokyo, providing delicious no sugar added desserts and meals for everyone, showcasing the effectiveness of Lakanto as a natural sweetener.

Join the sweet responsibility.

Summer is coming and what’s better to enjoy it than barbecues and picnics! But eating outside under the sun presents a food safety challenge. Bacteria, those small organisms that are everywhere can multiply quickly, and when it comes to food that is not really a great thing. With heat, bacteria multiplies even faster, and of course, we don’t want our outdoors parties to be spoiled by foodborne illness for a bad aftertaste. So let’s see some good tips to prevent it and enjoy the day.

What is Foodborne Illness?

Basically, food poisoning, is any illness resulting from the spoilage of food, due to pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites that can contaminate it. Occurring anywhere that food is involved, foodborne illness due to bacteria is the most common cause, since it only requires food, the water contained in it, and heat to proliferate, something available plenty in barbecues and picnics in the sunny, summer days.  

Anyone can suffer from this food poisoning, although people with a weaker immune system are more prone to develop it, like children and pregnant women, which may end in severe symptoms in the worst cases. For example, it can even cause dehydration or Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), which is a rare disease that primarily affects children younger than 10, which develops when people get in contact with the E. coli bacteria.  

Practical prevention tips

So how can we prevent our food from going bad in order to enjoy a perfect barbecue/picnic? Follow these 8 easy steps for a perfect day:

Wherever you are cooking or not, prepping your food correctly is vital.

1. Wash your hands:

Basic but crucial. You have to wash your hands with soap and water before preparing food, before eating and after going to the washroom. It might not be easy if you are in a place without running water, but you can bring with you some hand disinfectant or wipes. Be sure that your hand disinfectant is effective against bacteria.

2. Keep raw ingredients separated from cooked foods: 

If you are not going to stay home, it is easier to prepare most of it in advance. Use a different chopping board for the chicken, and another one for the prawns or vegetables, in order to avoid cross-contamination. Use fresh ingredients and pay attention to the expiry date! And everything not cooked has to be kept separated from the rest in different containers. If you bring marinated meat, store it separately and do not use the marinade afterwards with other meats.

3. Pack it well: 

If you prepare it well but don’t pack it properly, it can end leaking and all your efforts in preparation will be ruined! You need to store your food in good hermetic containers, organizing it in a way that it’s kept steady even in the trunk of a car. The best way is to put everything in a cooler, where it will be kept fresh and tightly organized. And with all the options available nowadays on the market, you will always be able to complement your style.

4. Keep it clean: 

We know you just arrived at the park and of course, you just want to talk with your friends or enjoy playing football, but pay attention to where you are putting your food! Don’t leave it under the sun, and keep it far from pets or any insects around the area. Put your cooler in a clean place, and If you still have some last minute preparation, do it in a safe area.

5. Keep it fresh: 

Place your food under the shadow, never under the sun. Cooked food can’t stay longer than 2 hours at room temperature. So if you are at home just leave everything inside the fridge for as long as possible and put them back in if you are having a break. When outdoors, always use your cooler and put some ice beforehand to make sure it stays fresh longer.

6. Cook food thoroughly: 

You have to cook food thoroughly in order to kill any harmful bacteria. The best option is to use a thermometer to try to get to 75C or hotter since heating foods to this temperature kills most food-poisoning bacteria. If you don’t have one, remember to cook mince, sausages, chicken or stuffed meats should not have any pink meat. For steak, chops and whole cuts of red meat, since food poisoning bacteria are mostly on the surface, you can cook them to preference.

7. Keep it hot: 

When your meat is cooked but you are not yet ready to eat it,  just leave it on the warm side of the barbecue. Otherwise, bacteria might join the party and in the end, we did all the previous steps to avoid it, didn’t we?

8. Use safe water: 

You brought some nice fruits but forgot to wash them beforehand? Do not wash them with water that you are unsure if it is safe since it could be contaminated with bacteria. Always bring water to drink and to wash your food!

You never know what can happen, so always follow the rule “when in doubt, throw it out”. That way, you can be sure that you are going to enjoy the season of outdoor parties.

In order to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others, we know that we have to wash our hands, with a thorough scrub of at least 20 seconds, making sure to rub between your fingers and cleaning even under your nails. This is even more necessary when using public transportation or visiting a tourist place, which due to the number of people touching stair rails and doorknobs, is even more prone to the spreading of diseases.

Why dry your hands?

After you are out of the toilet of a restaurant and you washed your hands (again, 20 seconds or more is best) the next step should be always drying them. Even if you wash your hands correctly, chances are that bacteria still survived, and damp hands spread 1,000 times more bacteria than dry hands, as water allows its multiplication. A thorough dry is vital, since as mentioned by WHO, “Hands are the main pathways of germ transmission during health care”. Drying your hands thoroughly is the last part of the process, so please don’t forget it!

Follow these steps for a correct hand wash and dry.

The different options to dry hands

When it comes to drying our hands in public restrooms, and not counting just drying your hands in your clothes (you just cleaned your hands, do you really want to dry them in your dirty jeans?), we mainly have 3 options: Single-use Paper Towel Sheets, or Hand Dryers that can be divided in Warm Air Dryers or Jet Air Dryers. There may be cases in “fancy restaurants" that you could also have hand towels, but for hygienic reasons, we would only recommend its use at private homes. Even there, make sure everyone uses its own towel, and remembering to change it frequently (every 2-3 days), or daily if someone is sick.

Sadly, when you need to dry your hands in a public facility like the toilet of a mall or a restaurant, it is rare that you can choose how to. Generally, only one option to dry your hands will be available, but which option is best?

Paper Towels 

According to many studies, drying hands with single-use paper towels is normally the most efficient way, as well as the fastest one to proceed. One extra plus is that you can use the paper towels to turn off the faucet, as well as to touch the handle to open the door. In dirty restrooms, you are glad sometimes to avoid direct contact with those areas when you know that germs can survive for days on wet surfaces.

We can wonder why we don’t find them everywhere then, as installing a Paper Towel Dispenser is very easy and it can fit in even the most narrow bathrooms, together with the no need for electricity. That is due to its main inconvenience, its costs, which is much higher than an air dryer, costing .02~0.18 cents per dry vs 1 cent per sheet.  It may also not be the most environmentally friendly solution since it uses such an amount of paper, but in many cases, the paper towels are actually made from recycled paper, so this could somehow reduce this concern.

Hand Dryers

Hand dryers can be generally classified into two categories:

1. Warm Air Dryers

Warm air Dryers are based on the evaporation of water by blowing hot air towards your hands. Not as fast as other types, although they do help reduce the number of bacteria, its effectiveness is not as good as a paper towel, something that was even investigated in the tv show Mythbusters. Another problem is that due to taking so long to dry, many people tend to stop before the cycle is finished, not ending in a correct hand dry.

2. Jet Air Dryers

Contrary to the first ones, Jet Air Dryers remove water through forces in opposite directions and dispersion into the air. They are much faster in use, amounting to 10-20 seconds when others can take around 45 seconds. Combined with their newer, fancier look, people tend to like jet air dryers more, due to the convenient, fast drying.

One of its many concerns, together with the more traditional Warm air dryer, is the possible spread of bacteria in the air. Indeed, according to a study, “they may facilitate microbial cross-contamination via airborne dissemination to the environment or bathroom visitors”. To avoid this, some manufacturers have launched on the market jet air dryers models with added features such as HEPA filters and antibacterial resin in their materials to avoid and reduce the spread of germs in the air. If the facility you are visiting does actually change those filters accordingly would be another problem though.

In the end, any method that encourages you to dry your hands is better than leaving them wet. Just a tip, if you use hand dryers never rub your hands against each other, as it can bring bacteria living within the skin to the surface.

In an idyllic world, all the washrooms would be clean and have automatic entrance doors with No-Touch Hand Disinfectant Dispensers, which would allow us to have clean and safe hands. The toilets would flush automatically, and we would find No-Touch soap dispensers, hands-free faucets, air-jet dryers, and well-placed paper towel dispensers. In that way, we could get in and out without having to touch any surfaces. But unfortunately, this is not the case, and sometimes going to the bathrooms feels like a dangerous adventure.

Why should we be careful while using Public Toilets?

According to a study, bacteria can survive for months, even if the area is cleaned multiple times a day. In public toilets, 45% of found bacteria were of fecal origin, not only including toilet seats but also soap dispensers. The searchers found genetic traces of more than 77,000 distinct types of bacteria and viruses, fortunately, most of them were likely dead or dormant. But when they tried growing cultures from the different surfaces in each room, they found one set of live bacteria in overwhelming abundance: Staphylococcus, also known as MRSA. Other studies also reported that, even if bacteria normally does not survive long outside of the body and are not any more dangerous than the germs at home, public facilities do tend to contain several kinds of harmful bacteria like E.coli, Salmonella, Coliform, Rotavirus, and cold viruses.  Public bathrooms can be a hotspot of bacteria, and we need to be extra careful.

Practical easy tips:

Let’s learn 8 good pieces of advice that will make your experience in public restrooms safer, and not feel like a dangerous adventure into the wild.

1. Find and use the cleanest toilet:

In order to locate a suitable public restroom with the biggest chance to be clean, keep in mind that the best are in hospitals, hotels, and restaurants, which normally have higher cleaning standards. If feasible avoid the ones at the airports, as they are in high traffic areas with bathrooms that may not stay clean for long due to the high volume of people using them throughout the day. Once you are there, try to take the stall that looks the cleanest. It seems that people tend to use less the first stall due to the feeling of being less “private”, so it’s safe to bet that it will be less exposed to germs and bacteria.

2. Don’t put your belongings on the floor

A study reports that the highest concentration of germs in public bathrooms are found on the floor. If you place your bag on the floor, dirt and germs from your shoes would then be transferred to it and then eventually to your hands. If there is a hook available, just hang your belongings there. Otherwise, it is always better if a friend can hold your bag and or coat, which could funnily explain a lot why women always go to the toilet with a friend.

3. Don’t be afraid to sit on the toilet seat

A study says that you are more at risk of picking up germs and bacteria through touching bathroom surfaces with your hands and then not washing them, rather than through your skin on your bottom while sitting on the toilet seat. It is obvious that skin contact with urine or fecal matter on the toilet seat is not desirable, but they are actually not clear health hazards, so it’s not that vital to cover the toilet seat with toilet paper. Still, in order to avoid unpleasant situations, perform a visual inspection of the toilet seat before sitting down on it while choosing your stall. In recent years, you can also find toilet seats sanitizer dispenser to easily sanitize the toilet seat with some toilet paper, so don’t be afraid to sit down. In fact, sitting down on the toilet would avoid you to hover on the toilet seat and let it cleaner for the next people coming.

4. Flush smart

You should avoid touching the flush handle with your hands, as you can easily transmit bacteria from your hands to your face or your mouth in no time. The best solution is to use toilet paper to touch the handle and to just throw it away in the bowl as it’s starting to flush.

5. Wash your hands

We will never repeat it enough, but washing your hands with soap is your best weapon against bacteria and germs. So during a minimum of 20 seconds properly rub your fingers with soap and then rinse well your hands. The best option is an automatic faucet but if there are none, turn off the tap with a paper towel if available.

6. Dry your hands

Once your hands are washed, don’t forget to dry them thoroughly as bacteria multiply faster on wet hands than dry ones. You can learn more about its importance in our recent article on the differences between paper towels and dryers to dry your hands.

7. Limit your contact with surfaces

If it is feasible, try to restrict your contact with surfaces as much as possible in order to not get bacteria or germs on your hands. Use automatic dispensers and taps if available, and if possible don’t touch the doors. If you are forced to touch a handle to exit the restroom, then you can also use some paper towels to avoid contact.

8. Use Hand Disinfectant

If you are lucky, a hand disinfectant dispenser may be located at the entrance of the public facility, so do not hesitate to disinfect your hands before and after going to the washroom, as it will allow you to kill reluctant bacteria. You could also put in your bag a small bottle of hand disinfectants to carry with you everywhere, which will always be handy.

With these basic and easy tips to follow, going to public bathrooms will go from a dangerous adventure, where you are fighting your fear to get in contact with germs and bacteria, to a smooth and safe journey.

With the bloom of nature at the start of Spring comes the season of pollen, which can extend until September with the approach of Fall. For those that suffer hay fever, keeping windows closed during peak allergy seasons like spring and being careful of what you may be carrying when reentering your home is the most obvious recommendation, but it is hard to live without opening a window from time to time. Instead, learn some efficient and easy tips for house cleaning that will make your daily life much more enjoyable. 

What is Hay Fever?

Allergic Rhinitis, commonly known as Hay Fever, has nothing to do with suffering any kind of fever but it is an allergic sensitivity to airborne mold spores or pollen that comes not only from trees but also grass, pet hair, dust or even perfume. Depending on the person, it can be really unpleasant, going from a simple itchy nose to a disturbing sneezing and coughing, also displaying symptoms such as swollen eyes, stuffy nose or congestion.

Hay fever can be seasonal, caused by pollen or airborne mold spores, or perennial, due to dust mites, pet hair, dander and insects. Whatever the origin, the best way to avoid hay fever is by eliminating or decreasing your exposure to said allergens.

 7 Simple house cleaning tips:

In order to get rid of allergens, it is important to clean your house regularly, minimum once a week. Follow our easy tips to be as efficient as possible: 

1. Get well equipped

You need proper gear if you suffer from allergies when cleaning. Wear a protective mask and gloves to avoid all the dust reaching your face by air or touch, and when you are done with cleaning is best as well to change to a fresh set of clothes. 

Concerning materials, it is better to skip cotton or paper towels when cleaning and opt instead for microfiber, since it attracts dust much better and is more environmentally friendly. Plus, before using those microfiber mops and cleaning cloths, be sure to dampen them to attract dust much more effectively. 

For those with a severe allergy, you will definitely need a vacuum cleaner since is the most effective way of capturing the allergens attached to floors and rugs. Make sure to have one with HEPA filters to capture as many allergens as possible. Lastly, be careful with what cleaning products you choose since scented cleaners or detergents could emphasize your allergies.

2. Pay attention to humidity

Control indoor temperature and humidity. Dust mites and mold spores, which we don’t really like, love heat and humidity. By maintaining a temperature between 20 ̊C and 22 ̊C and a humidity level of no more than 50 percent you can avoid their proliferation. In addition, keep moisture from getting into the home. Wet or leaky pipes, windows, doors, basements, walls, will allow water to collect, making it easy for mold and mildew to grow in your home.

3. Clean your entrance door

One of the best tricks to reduce allergens in your home is to prevent them from coming in. At least weekly, clean outside entryways by sweeping or hosing away pollen. Have everyone in the family take off their shoes before getting into the house, by storing outerwear and shoes by the entrance rather than in bedrooms, to keep pollen away. You can as well use some plastic containers to keep shoes or coats that you are not using at the current season, thus avoiding them to end up covered in dust while they are not used. 

4. Regularity, room by room and everywhere

It is important to dust off your house completely and not forgetting any surface. Vacuum minimum once a week, even twice during allergen peaks, not only the floor but also curtains and furniture like sofas. You have to do it room by room starting by the bedroom, the kitchen, bathroom and living room. In that way, you can just close the door once the first room is done to avoid any dust to settle back in, preserving the environment you just created.

5. Avoid carpets and rugs

If possible, don’t have carpets at home and as few rugs as possible, even less if they have a long pile, since the longer the pile the easier it is for allergens to attach. Sadly, carpets are the most notorious places for collecting pet dander, pollen and dust mites, meaning that if you neglect to clean this surface thoroughly, you’ll never eradicate them. Also, carpet fiber, padding, and the glue required to hold them together can also cause allergic reactions, so if you can’t figure out why your eyes are itchy or your nose won’t stop running when you’re home, your carpet may be the one to blame.

6. Wash sheets weekly

The bedroom is the best place to start cleaning, as it may be the one with the most allergens since in general, we spend a lot of time in bed. Wash your bedsheets once a week in 54℃ hot water to kill any dust mites and their eggs, and if there is mold, use bleach. An extra step to avoid part of these problems would be buying allergy-proof bedding. Then, before putting your fresh bed linen, it is always good to vacuum the mattress in order to remove all the body cells, dust mites and pollen that can be on it. 

Lastly, don’t dry your sheets outside in the worst periods of the year… you would just bring more pollen home.

7. Keep the bathroom free of mold 

Minimizing moisture is of prime importance, so the bathroom is the main worry on this subject. Use soap, water, and a brush to clean surfaces that mold may enjoy. However, remember that soap won't kill existing mold, so use a mold-killing cleaning product to close the deal. Keep the room well-ventilated while cleaning, and rinse all surfaces well with hot water. Wash the shower curtains once a month as well.

And here is an extra tip: pay attention to what you eat. If you increase your intake of foods with natural antihistamine properties such as garlic, onions, citrus and apples, it could reduce your allergies. And who knows, maybe you can improve your diet on the process.

When talking about kitchen cleaning, the area you should focus the most should always be your refrigerator. Often thought as the “backbone” of the kitchen, your fridge is storing raw food, cooked food, condiments, vegetables, drinks and more, so it should always be clean and safely organized, preventing not only food poisoning but also food spoilage. When you see any dirt, may already clean it straight away but don’t forget that also have to complement it with a simple deep cleaning every quarter to make sure that your appliance isn’t doing you more harm than good.

Why clean your refrigerator regularly?

A dirty fridge can be a breeding ground for mold and bacteria like salmonella, listeria and e. Coli. A study done on the average frost-free home fridge found that salad drawers alone contained an average of 7,850 bacteria units per colony-forming units (cfu/cm2).  This may not seem scary, but knowing that the current standard EC recommendation for safe and clean food storage and preparation is between 0 and 10 germs per cfu/cm2, you may change your opinion. To avoid any sickness falling in you or your family, let’s clean our refrigerator regularly.

How to clean your fridge?

Complete deep cleaning of your appliance may take around 20 minutes, but it will be worth your effort just by decreasing the risk of having food poisoning. Don’t know where to start? Just follow these easy steps:

1. Remove all food

It is always easier to clean your fridge when it is not full, so the best time to clean it would be just before going grocery shopping. Place Everything that your fridge still contains in a cooler to maintain its temperature while you clean.

2. Sort out all your food

While you put all the food in the cooler, check if the products are not expired, like those old condiments you barely use, opening all lids to check for mold and empties. Concerning fruits and vegetables, confirm they are in good shape and not rotten, removing the possibility of any contamination.

3. Take out removable parts and wash them

Most of the parts inside your fridge can easily be removed like the shelves and drawers, making the process of cleaning much more simple. Wash the removed parts with hot water and a dishwashing product, preferably a natural one like Happy Elephant  Dishwashing Liquid, in a sink. If they are really dirty, let them soak before in a basin, and once done, just dry well and set them apart.

4. Clean inside

First of all, avoid using cleaning products that may pass on any taste to your food, or damage your fridge’s interior or door seals. Use a specific cleaning product for fridges or if you don’t have any, a dishwasher liquid with hot water will do the trick, but whatever you do, do not use any disinfectant inside the fridge, as it could damage it, nor bleach as these products could make people ill if it gets in contact with food afterwards. Wipe everywhere inside the fridge with a sponge or a microfiber cloth, not forgetting inside the door as well. Finish this step by drying it all with a clean towel.

5. Check the drain hole

Inside your fridge you might find a drain hole, where dirt may have accumulated. Normally a little green brush comes with your fridge for its cleaning, so just use it to clean the inside of of the drain hole of any water due to condensation. Its evacuation will help you avoid the accumulation of moisture.

6. Clean outside

Wipe as well all your appliance exterior surfaces, and focus particularly on the handle. Don’t forget to clean the top of the refrigerator, where an unholy amount of grime has likely been collected. Dry it all with a towel. 

7. Organize your food smartly

So now you can put every removable part back to the fridge and reload it with food, and with a good organization, you will not allow bacteria to travel through shelves and contaminate everything. First, keep raw meat and cooked food separated in different, well-covered containers. Secondly, pay attention to which part of the refrigerator you are placing the food. The door of the fridge is the riskiest zone as it is the warmest, so save it for drinks and condiments. On the contrary, the bottom shelf is the safest place, as the temperature tends to be the most stable, so put meats and already cooked foods there. You may also have a salad drawer, which is a no-brainer for the place to place your vegetables.

8. Monitor the temperature

Once everything is clean and back in, make sure the temperature is correct (below 4°C). One of the easiest ways to keep your fridge at the ideal temperature is to make sure the doors are always properly closed. Fridge doors that are accidentally left open can cause food to enter the temperature danger zone (between 5 °C and 60 °C), allowing harmful bacteria to grow, since it will allow moisture to enter the fridge, speeding up its development. Over time, door seals may also deteriorate, so make sure you replace your seals before this starts to happen.

Now that your fridge is safe, just don’t forget to properly wash your hands with soap and to wash any towels used in the process.

Your office might be a breeding ground for bacteria, with co-workers, customers, or visitors coming and going around all day. During a normal day of work, everyone touches numerous surfaces, sharing and spreading bacteria, and if you add bad habits such as leaving unfinished take-away lunches on your desk, it is clear we are fighting germs everywhere in order to take control of our health in the workplace. And contrary to what you might think, it is not the washroom that is the most concerned area. Washing your hands and using hand disinfectants to prevent infections in shared spaces like an office is, unfortunately, something that few people do. Here is a list of all the areas of your office you need to tackle to avoid catching any sickness.

1. Coffee Pot Handle

Let’s be honest, we all need our coffee when we arrive in the morning. The problem is that many of us use public transport, touching things fully loaded with germs. And if we add the fact that we might get back to the coffee pot many times a day, sharing and spreading the bacteria on the handle over and over... For your information, there are 34 times more bacteria on the coffee pot handle of an office than on a school toilet seat.

A good way to decrease all the germs on the coffee pot is to clean it with a dishwashing product or in the dishwasher every evening.

2. Keyboard

No wonder why keyboards are a hotbed for germs, as most people keep their hands on it all day. Here the figures are alarming, as there are 400 times more bacteria on a keyboard than on an average toilet seat.

A simple tip is to never share your keyboard, and disinfect it with a surface disinfectant wipe regularly, even daily when you are sick.

3. The Office Kitchen Sponge

If you have a kitchen at the office, you may have a little sponge everyone uses …  it could be really harmful! According to a study, the kitchen is the place with the most bacteria, especially on the sponge where you can find bacteria like E.coli and Salmonella which can make you sick and provoke food poisoning.

To avoid that, it is better to replace the sponge monthly, even if it doesn’t look in bad shape. Also, use it in combination with hot water and a dishwashing product, since it will reduce the germ amount on it. And whatever you do, If you drop water on your desk, better use a paper towel than the sponge! In that way, you will avoid bringing bacteria from the kitchen to your desk.

4. High-Traffic Buttons

Bacteria can live for more than 2 days on a surface, so the daily touched buttons need our attention. Here we speak mainly about switches, the copier start button, and the elevator button, as just on the last one there were found 40 times more bacteria than on a toilet seat.

A neat trick is having a pen in your pocket, so you can always press on those buttons. Don’t hesitate to ask as well your office manager if the cleaning staff is disinfecting them regularly.

5. Handles

Handles as well have to be taken into consideration, knowing that the ones of the office entrance doors have 2 times more bacteria than your bathroom door handle back at home. The water fountain handles also don’t have to be forgotten since they also display a significant quantity of germs.

Try to leave doors open if feasible, so you will not have to touch the handles. Otherwise, use your elbows or your hand within a sleeve to open the doors in the building.

6. Pens

Maybe you or your colleague has the habit of chewing pens, but pens are actually touching germy hands all day! Chewing on a pen will, therefore, transfer bacteria and nasty germs to your mouth and, with 1 in 5 office workers admitting chewing on their pens, you probably want to avoid borrowing one from your colleagues.

So keep you stationary in your drawer and think twice before borrowing a pen. Who knows where it has been!

Micro-organisms don’t normally multiply on your desk without any help and they don’t move around by themselves. So it’s important that surfaces and objects in the office are cleaned frequently. Basic hygiene at the office can help keep germs at bay, with simple actions such as washing your hands frequently or avoiding touching your eyes, mouth, and nose. Also, simple but efficient, if you are sick, stay home. But, if you really need to be at the office even though you are under the weather, coughing or sneezing, make sure to cover your mouth. Because we all deserve to enjoy a healthier and happier office environment without worrying about bacteria.

When thinking about the South of France, we all have in mind the beautiful purple fields of lavender. Even if its gentle aroma evokes the sunny countryside of Provence, those fields are actually not grown for sightseeing but for its commercialization. The oil is extracted from the flower, giving one of the most famous and sold essential oils. These highly concentrated oils are used therapeutically to benefit the body, mind, and soul.

Origins:

The name lavender derives from the Latin ‘lavare’ meaning ‘to wash”. Indeed, the Romans already used lavender daily to scent their baths, beds, clothes and also purify the air. Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia) is a flowering plant from the mint family, blooming from June to August. Despite its Mediterranean and Middle-east origin of more than 2 5000 years, now you can find it in many European countries up to New Zealand. The essential oil is produced through steam distillation of lavender flowers, giving it a sweet, floral and herbaceous scent.

Properties and uses:

With the multiple properties of lavender essential oils and together with the fact that it can be taken orally, applied to the skin, or even breathed in through aromatherapy, this ingredient is found frequently in many products. For instance, we use it in our range of Arau and Arau.baby products, as the herb is highly regarded for skin and beauty. It explains why lavender essential oil is commonly used in fragrances, shampoos, and other personal hygiene products in order to help purify the skin. In essential oil practices, lavender is considered a multipurpose oil with a wide range of benefits, due to the medicinal and therapeutic properties it is associated with.

1. Medicinal and therapeutic

• Antiseptic and Antibacterial: lavender essential oil is great to relieve symptoms of flu, colds, cough and other throat infections with oil, known to reduce phlegm and congestion due to its antibacterial properties. Diffuse it at home or add a few drops to a hot bath in order to boost your immunity.
• Antifungal: it has been proven that it helps in combating antifungal-resistant infections since the oil can act as a remedy for treating athlete’s foot and ringworm, which are caused by fungus.
• Antispasmodic: helpful in reducing muscular spasms, it also relieves pain. A regular massage with lavender oil can also provide relief from pain in the joints. 
• Anti-inflammatory: in case of a small burn, it will help the healing process, providing even relief to a mosquito bite. It has been found that lavender essential oil can act as an effective painkiller for a variety of conditions including skin inflammation, muscle soreness, headaches, menstrual cramps and stomach pains. 
• Analgesic: lavender is one of the most effective essential oils to help relieve headaches and migraines because of its ability to reduce tension and induce relaxation. 
• Sedative: the soothing and calming scent of lavender is one of the most efficient to reduce stress and anxiety. It is known to help reduce nervous tension, depression, restlessness and nervous exhaustion. It also improves sleeping as it relaxes you physically, making it a common alternative treatment for insomnia.

2. Cosmetics

• Antioxidant: because of its powerful antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, lavender essential oil is highly regarded when it comes to skincare. It has been shown to help heal wounds, cuts and burns as well as treating various skin conditions such as eczema, irritations and age spots. 
• Detoxing and Purifying: lavender essential oil is one of the most beneficial oils against acne as it helps regulate the over-excretion of sebum.
• Regenerative: it removes impurities and helps the regeneration of skin cells, explaining why it is often used not only in anti-wrinkles skin cares but also for hair, as it has been shown to be very helpful in against hair loss, particularly for people who suffer from alopecia, an autoimmune disease where the body rejects its own hair follicles. 
• Odours: used as a deodorant for personal hygiene or in air diffusers, the perfume of lavender essential oil can purify bad smells, explaining why the ingredient is frequently used for laundry products.

But a word of advice to those that want to use it everywhere. Even if lavender essential oil has a large scale of benefits, it doesn't replace any medicine and is not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women. Avoid its overuse as it could even cause allergies and skin irritation in some cases.

In order to avoid being sick and spreading germs to others, we have already stated the importance of clean hands in other articles on our website, showcasing proper hand hygiene as the key factor in avoiding virus transmission. Over the last years with the proliferation of portable disinfectant bottles, many may wonder if a traditional hand wash with soap is enough or if using hand disinfectants is better in terms of efficiency.

In reality, both methods are more than effective in cleaning your hands but differ in the way they do it. When washing your hands with soap, dirt and germs trapped in the natural oils of your skin are lifted and suspended in water, allowing hand soap to remove germs and bacteria. On the other hand, alcohol-based hand disinfectants kill the bacteria by softening their bacterial membrane, rendering them ineffective due to the action of alcohol.

At the end of the day, both methods can work perfectively fine, so more than a matter if either is more effective than the other, it should be a matter of when should you use each method.

Handwashing

It might sound a bit old fashioned to wash our hands with soap and water, but this method is still the best way to have clean hands. Effective, cheap and easy to use, soap allows us to not only disinfect our hands effectively but also to remove any visible dirt or grime that is stuck in your hands, something harder to do with hand disinfectants, helping us avoid any diseases. If there is no visible dirt, either handwashing or hand disinfecting will do the work, but if you are the type of person that prefers to use hand disinfectants, please be aware that not all exposure to germs and bacteria are inherently bad, so over-sanitizing our hands may actually do more harm than good, something that is called the “hygiene hypothesis”.

For a proper hand wash at the right moment, use the method below at the following key moments:

1. Key Moments

• After using public transport 
• Before preparing food
• After touching raw, fresh or frozen fish or meat
• After mopping, sweeping, removing garbage 
• After using the telephone
• After using the bathroom
• Before and after eating
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
• After touching anything that might result in contamination of hands, like taking care of a wound or a cut, changing diapers or playing with an animal

2. Method

Hand Disinfection

Hand disinfectants, seen as a “tougher” solution against bacteria, are used in hospitals and as a disease control tool for a reason, but we need to be aware of two main points: disinfectants will not actually do their job if your hands are visibly dirty, and that not all hand disinfectants are actually the same. If you are going to buy an alcohol sanitizer to disinfect your hands, we recommend to avoid alcohol-free sanitizers as they tend to have a lower effectivity, and always buy ones with a minimum of 60% alcohol. As an extra precaution, when dealing with outbreaks such as Norovirus, be sure that your hand sanitizer is effective against enveloped viruses, like our Alsoft VB. 

1. When to use an alcohol-based hand disinfectant

Basically, you can use hand sanitizers at the same key moments that you would normally wash your hands if you have no access to water. On top of that, alcohol-based is used daily by professionals in the healthcare sector, as they often perform duties in sterile settings and are required to clean their hands constantly. So if you enter a hospital to visit someone you may find hand disinfectant in several places, so do not hesitate to disinfect your hands before entering a patient's room, since it will normally provide stronger disinfection than soap.

2. Method

As a simple conclusion, washing hands with soap and water is the best way to reduce the number of microbes in most situations. Reserve the use of hand sanitizers (remember, alcohol-based sanitizers with a minimum of 60% of alcohol) for those cases where soap and water are not available, and for those cases where a complete eradication of bacteria is a must, like in healthcare environments.

Saraya Australia and New Zealand, which started officially selling Lakanto in the new ANZ packaging in August, is advancing at full speed, increasing the number of places where you can buy your favorite sweetener. Apart from the official Lakanto website, you can already find us at Woolworths, one of the first but surely not the last supermarket that has started carrying Lakanto Classic and Golden nation-wide.

Woolworths Supermarkets, Australia's largest supermarket chain with 965 locations, started selling Lakanto this month in a combined effort to provide solutions to the sugar and obesity epidemic in Australia. Sugar is consumed in excess not only in Australia but all around the world, and by having a major market retailer like Woolworths sell healthier alternatives like Lakanto we hope that we can together help make the world a healthier place.

For those that prefer purchasing from the comfort of their homes, apart from our online store already mentioned, Lakanto Classic and Lakanto Golden can also be bought on Woolworths’ online store, making the procurement of your favorite sugar alternative even easier.

Welcome to a healthier life. Welcome to #ResponsiblySweet.

Toys are a great learning tool for babies and they often end up making a long journey with your baby around the house, garden, park, playground... ending several times in your baby’s mouth in the meantime. For babies, it is normal to explore their environment by touching and tasting, so you can be sure that most of their toys have been drooled at least once before falling on the floor. As a consequence, with things constantly ending up in their mouths, babies can easily pick up germs and illnesses from many sources, including their toys. So, it’s crucial to regularly clean your baby’s toys to stop the spread of germs and illness, so they can keep being healthy in their daily adventures.

How often should you clean?

Knowing that children's toys can harbour viruses for hours, even more than 24 hours, and with the fact that the little babies' immune systems are weaker and less developed, is it really necessary to clean toys every day? Although it may surprise some people, in general, the answer is no. Concerning everyday toys, such as baby travel toys, which are always in the diaper bag, and teething toys, just cleaning them once a week is enough.  For other toys, once a month with your regular cleaning is fine enough, or when you notice that they're particularly gummed up with food or saliva.

That being said, please be careful and clean toys daily or straight after its use when these  situations occur:

• Your baby is sick or recovering from a cold or diarrhea
• If food, milk, mucus or vomit is spilled on a toy
• After organizing a playdate with kids who joyfully shared their toys and saliva
• If the toy has been sitting unused for a while accumulating dust and bacteria

How to clean

To start, it is important to remember that cleaning will physically remove the dirt and germs while disinfecting will kill germs. Cleaning should always come first as you can’t disinfect with good results a dirty object. Depending on the toy, different techniques can be used to clean them.

1. On a dishwasher or using water and soap

For toys made completely of plastic (and that don't have batteries) you can place them into the dishwasher and use your normal dishwashing product or, if you don't have one, you can wash them in warm soapy water using, for example, our Arau Baby Bottle Wash, formulated so that is completely safe for babies. The main advantage of using the dishwasher over just warm water is that it will also disinfect the toys due to its high temperature, so if you have one considering using it from time to time.

Don’t forget to also wash the plastic toys used during bath time, as even if they are soaking regularly, they also need, as your bathtub also does, to be cleaned. After, air-dry all the toys well before giving them back to children.

2. Using soapy water with a cloth and/or wipes

For toys made of wood, rubber or with batteries, you won’t be able to soak them into water. Instead, wipe them with a wet cloth inserted before in soapy water (use body soap or dishwashing product) to eradicate the visible dirt. If dirt still remains, do not hesitate to use a clean toothbrush to give it a bit more pressure on the dirty spots. If there is no visible dirt from the start, you can just clean and disinfect the toy with wipes, such as our Arau Baby special wipes that are safe to use for baby belongings.

3. With diluted bleach or white vinegar

For metallic toys that you can’t soak either, the easiest solution is to use a tablespoon of bleach diluted in a quart of water. But if you don’t want to use bleach, another method that works is a mixture of 50% white vinegar and 50% water. It will leave the toys sanitized once air-dried.

4. In your washing machine

For all plush, stuffed animals, blankets or cloth books the easiest option is to use your washing machine, but pay attention beforehand, and carefully read the tag to see if you can put the toy in the machine. Place them in a lingerie bag or in a pillowcase before washing, as they are delicate and we know how much the little ones care about their favorite plush. Lastly, preferably use a detergent for sensitive skin or babies like our natural, additive-free Arau Baby Laundry Soap, for a softer finish. Once it is dry, your baby can play with again.

Young children may always put toys in their mouths, but there is no need to worry. Just remember to clean regularly their belongings, minimizing the spread of germs and sickness in your family and allowing more time to have fun all together.

Yashinomi has been certified in Japan as a “doctor’s confirmed product” through the “Ask Doctors Evaluation Service” provided by M3 Corporation, being recommended by 95 out of 100 doctors (February 2019).

Born in 1971 as one of the first eco-detergents in Japan, Yashinomi uses plant ingredients for a fragrance-free, non-coloring, highly-biodegradable detergent. Its colorless shine is proof of its high-quality without unnecessary additives, making it a kitchen detergent gentle on your hands and the earth, loved by generations since it’s release. Skin irritation tested*, microorganisms will quickly decompose it into water and carbon dioxide after being drained.

*skin irritation may still occur in some extreme cases.

Some of the doctor’s opinions where:

• It’s not only gentle to the skin, but also considerate with the environment, so it feels that corporately they truly made an effort (Dermatologist, female, 34 years old).

• The dryness of the skin of my hands after its use was quite good compared to what I usually use. The difference has become obvious after several uses (Dermatologist, male, 55 years old).

• That is a low concentration of surfactant, unscented and hypoallergenic is very interesting and I would like to recommend it to everyone (Dermatologist, female, 43 years old).

Social Contribution

Starting with Yashinomi detergents, Happy Elephant and Cocopalm, our palm oil-related brands, we dedicate 1% of all sales for the environmental conservation of Borneo, Malaysia, through the Borneo Conservation Trust (BTC). On top of that, the palm oil we use for their creation is credited or certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), ensuring that we obtain it from a sustainable source that protects local farmers and the environment.

The fall has just begun, announcing the arrival of the flu season, which generally starts in October and peaks in February before winding down with spring. The impact of the flu varies from year to year and has a different intensity depending on the affected people, but although it may seem like an inconvenience to most of us it can also be deadly, with the flu season of 2017-2018 becoming one of the deadliest with more than 80,000 people who died from it. Some populations are more at risk, but anyone can catch the flu and its high fever can be accompanied by terrible fatigue and/or muscle aches. So concerning the flu, like with many other cases in life, better being well informed to prevent it and avoiding spreading it.

What is the flu?

Influenza, more commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by the influenza virus, contaminating the nose, throat, and lungs. There are 3 out of 4 types of Influenza that can affect humans: A, B and C.

Causing an extremely contagious respiratory infection, this disease spreads easily through the air conveyed through droplets that are created when those with the flu cough, sneeze or talk. Sometimes, although less often, a person can even catch the flu by touching a surface or object that has the flu virus on it, and then afterward by touching their own mouth, eyes, or nose.

As we explained in one of our previous articles, there is no need to take antibiotics as they are ineffective against viruses. 

The symptoms are:

• Fever or feeling feverish/chills (not everyone with the flu actually gets a fever)
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Nasal congestion
• Muscle or body aches
• Headaches
• Fatigue

There is no cure for the flu, and it can last between 1 to 2 weeks. Still, you can use some natural treatment to smoothen this period. The more important thing is to stay at home and get plenty of rest, as you are highly contagious and it is more than recommended to not go to the office nor see people. You can take some Ibuprofen against the headache and muscle aches and it is also recommended to drink a lot of fluids to keep your respiratory system hydrated and relieve your throat.

Most people who have the flu don't need to see a doctor as there is not much they can help with. But if the person infected is at risk or is not feeling any better after a few days then is better to go to a healthcare facility, as some people who get the flu can develop complications that can be serious or even life-threatening such as:

• Ear infection
• Bronchitis
• Sinus infection
• Pneumonia
• Inflammation of the heart, brain or muscle tissues 

What population is the most at-risk?

The flu affects children under the age of 5 (especially the ones under 2) and adults from 65 and over the most. They have the highest risk of developing severe complications from the flu, with higher chances of needing to be hospitalized or ending in death in the worst cases. Elderly people are more likely to already be suffering from chronic illness or having compromised immune systems, making them more susceptible to infections like pneumonia. On the other side of the spectrum, young children tend to have an immune over-response to flu strains that they haven’t been exposed to before.

Other people that are also considered at high risk include:

• Children 18 and under who are taking aspirin or salicylate-based medications
• Pregnant women or women less than two weeks in postpartum
• People with compromised immune systems
• Anyone experiencing chronic illness, especially heart, lung, or kidney disease 
• People in long-term care, assisted living facilities or nursing homes
• Organ donor recipients who take anti-rejection drugs
• People living in close quarters 
• People with HIV or AIDS

How can we prevent the flu?

As Influenza is a deadly threat, its prevention should fall on all members of society, with WHO also launching the Global Influenza Strategy for 2019-2030 in March this year to protect people from the worldwide threat that it represents. At an individual level, we can take several measures to avoid being infected with simple but very efficient tips and recommendations:

• Getting vaccinated (between October and March but preferably in October)
• Washing our hands with warm soapy water or if we don’t have access to water, using an alcohol-based hand disinfectant
• Avoiding touching our eyes, nose and mouth
• Keeping the surfaces clean
• Having a healthy diet
• Doing some regular exercise
• Avoiding sharing our food or plates
• Putting our tissues in the bin 
• Staying at  home if we are sick

If even after all countermeasures you still get the flu, just relax and weather the symptoms as there is not much one can do, but consider getting a flu vaccine next year!

Whether you're commuting, going to a picnic or working at the gym, a reusable water bottle is a handy way of ensuring you get enough water throughout the day while not expending money on plastic bottles, a much better alternative for the environment and your wallet. There are countries that due to the quality of tap water, filters and/or bottled water may be the only way of obtaining safe, drinkable water, but in developed countries, as a general rule, tap water is very closely monitored from a health point of view and safe to drink every day. For those users that do so, the worry switches not to the quality of the water but to the cleanness of the bottle. 

Let's be more environmentally friendly

Investing in a reusable bottle, whether it's made of stainless steel, glass, or thick plastic is a great step into cutting our plastic consumption, not only helping the environment but saving a surprising amount of money. Sadly, the trend points towards an ever big use in plastic, as in 2017 one million plastic bottles were bought around the world every minute with the number expected to jump by 20% in 2021. Plastic pollution is one of the main factors of the degradation of ecosystems, damaging at the same time wildlife and human health, and contributing to the growing problem of climate change. Knowing that 91% of plastic is not recycled and the impact microplastic is creating around the world, it is time for all of us to take action and change some of our habits and use our own water bottle in our daily life. 

Bacteria in reusable water bottles?

As any object you may own, water bottles should also be cleaned regularly. 

First, don’t think that just cleaning the part of the bottle that gets in contact with the mouth, you will be safe from catching any disease or sickness. As Dr. Philip Tierno, a microbiologist at New York University explains, "Bacteria tend to form a biofilm on the inside of the reusable container over time," he said in an interview. "So you need mechanical action to get rid of that biofilm that coats the inside of the bottle." This biofilm will contain many different types of bacteria that you accumulated during the day, from when you shook someone's hand, grabbed a railing or handrail in the subway, went to the bathroom, had some food,... all things you did before taking your water bottle, and not washing your hands in the meantime.

Also, make sure to properly clean your bottle, since rinsing it is not enough to eliminate this biofilm.  You can find more than 300,000 colony-forming units per square centimeter (CFU/sq cm) in a bottle when not properly cleaned, which is alarming knowing that on a pet toy you only find around 2,937 CFU/sq per cm.

Some tips for cleaning your bottle

So how can you make ensure that you cleaned your bottle properly? Following these easy tips once a week and you will make your flask reusable to infinity (or close as possible!):

• Empty what's left of water: stagnant water can cause mildew and unpleasant odours. As a general rule, you should empty your bottle every day.
• Dismantle all the removable parts, the cap, the lid, the rubber, the straw...
• Clean the body and parts with hot water, if possible taking the temperature of the water up to 71 degrees to eliminate most bacteria.
• Soak the bottle in water with dish detergent or baking soda before rinsing it thoroughly. You can also use specialized cleaners, such as our Arau Baby Bottle Wash that lifts away dirt and bacteria, protecting your baby.
• Rub the inside of the container with a bottle brush (be sure that the bottle brush you use is also clean, and soak it regularly into hot soapy water or at least change it every 3 months).
• To be done once a month: fill the bottle, half with white vinegar, half with soapy water, then leave overnight before rinsing thoroughly with clear water, without forgetting the cap or the straw if there is one included.
• Some water bottles are suitable for cleaning in a dishwasher, in which case you can just wash it as any other tableware.
• Make sure that all parts are well dried before reassembling, as otherwise, it could result in the appearance of mildew, and you will have to start all over again.

Knowing these easy tips, now you are safe to keep on being hydrated all day without worrying about your reusable bottle!

After 3 busy but exciting days, we can say without a doubt that we were honored to present our last innovations and consumer brands at the Natexpo exhibition which took place in Villepinte (Paris area), France, from the 20 to the 22 of October. Natexpo has established itself as the place to be in for international trade of organic products, with more than 1000 exhibitors representing 20 countries, so we didn't want to miss the chance to be present on such an event. 

For us, it was a great opportunity not only to showcase our line of ecological products, such as Actae Verde or Happy Elephant, but also to meet with other key actors of the French consumer organic market: retailers in the mass market and specialized stores for the organic market. 

Official English poster of the event.

These meetings have reinforced our belief in the need to provide ecological products in greater numbers through different distribution channels, something we are actively in pursuit of, establishing SARAYA as the environmentally conscious company we are worldwide also in the French and European markets. 

See you at the next NATEXPO!

Visit Saraya Europe's website here

With Halloween at our doorstep, the time of potions and secret recipes is coming. And one famous and 100% natural ingredient, that our R&D witches team uses frequently in our cosmetics, is the spearmint oil. Let’s learn more about this ancient herb origin and why it is so commonly used in health-food products, toothpaste, mouthwashes, cosmetics, aromatherapy and as well in medicine for its claimed therapeutic properties.

Origin

Spearmint, known scientifically as Mentha Spicata, is one of at least thirty species in the extensive Lamiaceae, better known as the mint family. You can recognize it from the other herbs with the spear shape of its leaves (which gives it its name) and its purple boom flowers. It is a Mediterranean native perennial herbaceous plant (meaning that it only lives 2 years), that we can trace back at least to the 1st century. Domesticated by the Romans, who brought it to Britain, and then shipped it to America with the first British colonists, Spearmint can easily adapt to all temperatures as well as grow in various types of soil, explaining why we can find it worldwide nowadays.

Use and benefits

Although peppermint and spearmint may share many of the same properties and benefits, there are significant differences. Contrary to peppermint which contains 40% menthol, giving it its “minty” flavor great for cooking, spearmint has less than 1% making it ideal for the creation of aromatic oil, called oil of spearmint. We could assume that spearmint essential oil is extracted from the leaves, but it actually comes from the steam distillation of the Spearmint plant's leaves, stems, and/or flowering tops. The most abundant compound we can find in spearmint oil is carvone and other volatile oils, flavonoid thymosin, caffeic acid derivatives, rosmarinic acid, and limonene.

For centuries, spearmint has been used for its digestive benefits, often being served with or after meals in order to help digestion, as an ingredient in Ayurvedic medicine, a holistic healing system that believes that health and wellness depend on the balance between the mind, body, and spirit, and as a natural remedy to soothe skin problems, throat aches and headaches. It was even used in Ancient Greece as an aphrodisiac! By now, it has been proven to have different properties like being anti-fungal, anti-bacterial,... as well as helping to avoid indigestion due to its high concentration of carvone providing antispasmodic, carminative, and sedative effects.

Applications of spearmint

As mentioned before, spearmint has had many rules and roles over time, but nowadays there are 3 uses that shine over the rest, its cometic, aromatherapy and medicinal use.

1. Cosmetic

Stimulant, antioxidant, antiseptic, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant.

Seen its properties and its pleasant light smell, we use spearmint oil in our Arau Baby Laundry Soap, helping to make sure the baby’s laundry will be rid of bacteria and smooth for your baby’s delicate skin. But you will also find it commonly in toothpaste, mouthwash, hair and body wash. It is also one of the main ingredients of cream to relieve the pain from insects or mosquitos bites.

2. Aromatherapy

Antispasmodic, stimulant, restorative, expectorant, anti-depressant, carminative, decongestant.

Spearmint essential oil is a somewhat more subtle oil than peppermint since it contains significantly less menthol, so it's softer fragrance makes it easier to use every day in aromatherapy. It can relieve nasal congestion, headaches, throat aches, stomach pains, as well be used to deodorize a room while relaxing the body. It can also be used in combination with other essential oils, for example, we use it with our Golden Jojoba Oil in our Aroma Life range.

3. Medicinal

Antiseptic, antispasmodic, disinfectant, stimulant, restorative, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, carminative, decongestant, anti-oxidant.

Contrary to what we can think, using spearmint in toothpaste is not that much for its characteristic fresh flavor, but more for its antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, which may help kill the bacteria in your mouth that cause bad breath. You will find it as well in syrups for throat aches, or to relieve bronchitis. It is also very useful to deal with digestive problems, including nausea, flatulence, and hiccups as it relaxes the stomach muscles.

As all the essential oils, it is necessary to be cautious while using it and not take excessive amounts. As well, it is not recommended to use it when you are pregnant or breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side, always follow the quantity recommendations checking on the label of the products or the healthcare professional dosage.

In history, few people have saved more lives than Louis Pasteur. This chemist of humble origins fundamentally changed our understanding of biology by looking closely at the building blocks of life, placing him at the forefront of a new branch of a still uncharted science, microbiology and immunology. Disproving a theory held since Aristotle he affirmed that bacteria can only evolve from existing bacterial cells and not from inanimate matter, his thinking leads to the development of vaccines, protecting millions of people worldwide. His insight that germs cause disease revolutionized healthcare, developing and pioneering the procedures in disinfection, sterilization and pasteurization, finding new ways to make food safe to eat.

Louis Pasteur (27 December 1822 - 28 September 1895)

The biologist, microbiologist and chemist to become, born in Jura, France, was raised in a conservative catholic poor family, spending his early years as an average student more interested in art, particularly drawings, than in science. His father, a tanner (person who prepares animal skins to be made into leather) that valued family loyalty, hard work and financial security, discouraged him from developing his artistic side to make him focus only on schoolwork. In 1839 he entered the Collège Royal of Besançon with his main in philosophy while continuing a degree in science with special mathematics. He failed the baccalauréat scientifique (general science) degree the first time but passed it on the second in 1842 with a mediocre grade in chemistry. Because of his low ranking, he ended up entering the École Normale Supérieure 2 years after and obtained his diploma licencié ès sciences (Master of Science) in Paris, 1845.

One year later he started his first job as a professor of physics at the Collège de Tournon in the french countryside, but the chemist Antoine Jérôme Balard asked him to come back to the École Normale Supérieure as a graduate laboratory assistant, move he realized not much later. Together, they made research in crystallography and submitted two theses, one in chemistry and the other in physics.

In 1848, he returned briefly to Dijon as a professor of physics, to later became professor of chemistry at the University of Strasbourg where he met his future wife Marie Laurent, who was the daughter of the university's rector. Together they had five children, but sadly only two of them survived to adulthood, with the other three dying of typhoid. In 1852, he was nominated to the chair of chemistry, and two years later he was named dean of the new faculty of sciences at the University of Lille, where he began his studies on fermentation. 

1857, he moved back to Paris as the director of scientific studies at the École Normale Supérieure where he took control from 1858 to 1867, being appointed professor of geology, physics, and chemistry at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in 1863, a position he held until his resignation in 1867. 

1867, he became the chair of organic chemistry at the Sorbonne, but he later gave up the position because of poor health, after suffering a stroke which partially paralyzed his left side. Still in the same year, the École Normale's laboratory of physiological chemistry was created at Pasteur's request and he was named the laboratory's director from 1867 to 1888. While managing that position, he established the Pasteur Institute in 1887, in which he was its director for the rest of his life. Pasteur continued to run the Pasteur Institute in Paris even as his health was deteriorating, dying at the age of 72 following another stroke that his paralysis had worsened.

A life of investigation

Over the course of his life, Dr. Pasteur realized many studies and discoveries that helped the field of medicine to improve to what it is now. Some of his major contributions where:

Fermentation and Germ Theory of diseases

For two thousand years, fermentation and putrefaction were often perceived as being spontaneous phenomena. But Louis Pasteur finally disproved this theory in an elegant experiment. He showed that food went bad because of contamination by microbes in the air and that these could lead to disease. Thus, 'Germ Theory' from a formal approach was born, conducting to the development of antiseptics and changing healthcare forever. He found not only that microorganisms can make us sick, but he also wrote recommendations on how to kill germs and protect ourselves.

Pasteurization

Pasteurization is clearly the most famous of his discoveries, something easy to realize as its name comes directly from his surname, Pasteur. In 1863 good french wine was prized around Europe, but vineyards were losing money due to spoilage in transit. He realized this was due to contamination, but boiling wine made it taste terrible. In a series of careful experiments, he discovered that heating it to 55 degrees killed the bacteria without ruining the taste, a process later named, as mentioned above, after him. He completely revolutionized the beer and wine industry, as this eliminated pathogenic microbes and lowered microbial numbers, while extending the quality of the beverage. Today, pasteurization is used widely in the dairy industry and other food processing industries to achieve food preservation and guarantee food safety.

Vaccination and immunology

As Louis Pasteur proved successfully how dangerous germs can be, he decided to go deeper into the subject. His first important discovery in the study of vaccination came in 1879 while he was working on chicken cholera. He injected an old culture of bacteria into chickens which felt ill. But contrary to the logic of the day, the birds didn’t die but turned more resistant to fresh cholera injections. Pasteur realized weakened strains of a disease could help animals develop immunity, so keen to develop vaccines for other diseases, he decided to tackle the fatal anthrax, which could wipe out entire populations of farm animals and humans alike. After several studies, Louis Pasteur announced that he had discovered a vaccine and successfully immunized 31 animals. In this specific case, historical records now show that he actually exaggerated how much original work he did, taking the credit for ideas that were developed by a rival, Jean-Joseph-Henry Toussaint, a Toulouse veterinary surgeon that sadly never received credit for his work. However, he still made great contributions to immunology and vaccination, as seen later when he ended vaccinating a boy against rabies with an original vaccine.

Even to this day, Pasteur is directly influencing the research of infectious diseases through the Pasteur Institute, a charitable body that was created thanks to his international appeal for funds back in 1987. Now as one of the world’s leading research centers, it continues to work reaching significant achievements, such as the development of diphtheria, tuberculosis or typhoid vaccines.

Diabetes is a chronic disease that develops when our body, through the pancreas, does not produce enough insulin or can’t respond to it appropriately, leading to high levels of sugar in the blood. Originally a disease that only concerned rich countries it is now occurring more frequently in the middle and low-income countries, affecting adults and children indifferently, sparing no country nor social class. Thus, everyone can be affected by this epidemic which now is the concern of 415 million people worldwide, or 1 in 11 adults, making diabetes one of the 5 more common reasons for death. 

Diabetes is a major threat to global health and it is important to bring awareness in order to better understand it and tackle it. That’s why in 1991, World Diabetes Day was created, happening since then every 14th of November.

Insulin and types of diabetes

Insulin is a hormone that regulates the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and protein, by promoting the absorption of carbohydrates, especially glucose, from the blood into liver, fat and skeletal muscle cells. It plays such an important role in regulating sugar in our body that on people that suffer from diabetes and the pancreas is not able to produce any insulin or make proper use of it, it will lead to a rise in glucose levels in blood, called hyperglycemia, which can lead to many health problems that are explained later in the article.

Three main kinds of diabetes exist:

• Type 1 diabetes:

Previously known as insulin-dependent, juvenile or childhood-onset because it affects children and adolescents more frequently, it can be developed at any age. It is an autoimmune disease, as the body makes none or a very small amount of insulin, due to the immune system attacking and destroying the cells in the pancreas that produce it. So far, the causes for its appearance are still unclear and it can’t be prevented, but certain tendencies to genetic and environmental factors have been observed.

• Type 2 diabetes:

The most common one with 90% of all cases, formerly called non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset, is observed when the body doesn’t properly use insulin. Contrary to type 1diabetes it is not an autoimmune disease, meaning that the reason for its appearance, even in unknown cases, tends to be more related to genetics and a combination of an unhealthy lifestyle (like not exercising and being overweight).

• Gestational diabetes:

Developed by pregnant women, it's hyperglycemia is where blood glucose values are above normal but below those of diabetes diagnostics. Generally, it goes away with the delivery of the baby, although it sometimes leads to type 2 diabetes afterward. Its cause is the appearance of insulin-blocking hormones produced during pregnancy along with lifestyle factors.

Apart from these more common types of diabetes, other rare types exist due to other causes like drug or chemical-induced diabetes.

Symptoms and consequences

You can see the different symptoms of diabetes in the graph below:

People suffering from diabetes have an increased risk as well to develop other complications due to their level of glucose in the blood. The more frequent are:

• Cardiovascular disease including strokes, which is the most common cause of death among people suffering from diabetes.
• Eye problems called diabetic nephropathy, but also cataracts that can occur earlier than generally. Glaucoma can be developed.
• Kidney disease that is painless until it reaches an advanced state, so this needs to be regularly checked.
• Dental issues that increased risks of tooth decay.
• Oral complications
• Nerve damage can occur in the sensory and motor nerves in every part of the body, including organs.
• Foot problems, which in fact reduce blood supply and nerve function and can delay healing, increasing the risk of infection and reducing feeling in the feet, which can lead to ulcers and structural foot problems.

Treatments 

After the diagnosis of diabetes, which generally occurs with a blood sugar test, and the confirmation of what type is the patient suffering treatment will be started by the doctor. For type 1, the most common treatment is the prescription of an insulin injection as well as some physical activity. For people suffering from type 2, weight reduction is necessary with a combination of a specific diet with an exercise program, with diabetes medication sometimes prescribed, prescribing insulin if and when the medications turn out ineffective. Patients suffering from gestational diabetes will be treated by insulin during their pregnancy.

If all medical recommendations are followed, it should result not only in the reduction of glucose in the blood but as well, especially in type 2 diabetes patients, drastic changes in their lifestyle.

Prevention and recommendations

The International Diabetes Foundation gives 9 recommendations for a healthy diet, lowering the chances of diabetes:

1. Choosing water, coffee or tea instead of fruit juice, soda, or other sugar-sweetened beverages.
2. Eating at least three servings of vegetables every day, including green leafy vegetables.
3. Eating up to three servings of fresh fruit every day.
4. Choosing nuts, a piece of fresh fruit, or unsweetened yogurt for a snack.
5. Limiting alcohol intake to a maximum of two standard drinks per day.
6. Choosing lean cuts of white meat, poultry or seafood instead of red or processed meat.
7. Choosing peanut butter instead of chocolate spread or jam.
8. Choosing whole-grain bread, rice, or pasta instead of white or plain.
9. Choosing unsaturated fats (olive oil, canola oil, corn oil, or sunflower oil) instead of saturated fats (butter, ghee, animal fat, coconut oil or palm oil).

For people suffering from diabetes type 2, it’s appearance could be prevented or delayed by:

• Losing weight,  which is a main factor in diabetes prevention. Even 5 or 10% less of a person's weight would have a tremendous benefit on their health if the person succeeds in keeping it off.
• Eating a healthy diet, the key to lose weight, cutting sugar consumption as there is a lot of added sugar in already processed food. You can also use sugar substitutes, like our Lakanto products that contain no sugar, and most importantly, no glycemic effect.
• Being fit, practicing a regular physical activity that will help lose weight and lower blood sugar levels at the same time. You can start slowly at your rhythm and try to end having 30 minutes of exercise 5 times a week.
• Quitting smoking, as it can increase insulin resistance.
• Having regular health check-ups, as a lot of people ignore they suffer from diabetes, delaying any possible treatment.

Now that you are well-informed, you are ready to participate at the World Diabetes Day, changing your life for the better as well as bringing awareness about this disease, helping people to take care of their health.

What is Lakanto and how is it made? What is Monk Fruit and where is it farmed? Do we use any pesticides or is it a natural process? To answer these and other questions, join us on our visit to Lakanto’s Monk Fruit farms in Guilin, China.

Farming in the mountains, away from the city

Saraya’s Monk fruit farm, located up in the mountains to ensure the best taste.

Monk Fruit or Luo Han Guo, a small round fruit from the gourd family, is a fruit prized for its sweetness and healing capabilities, discovered by the Luo Han monks over 1000 years ago. Primarily grown in Southern Asia, monk fruit grows in very select elevations and conditions, requiring high rainfall, high humidity and a high-temperature difference between day and night. To find a place with these characteristics, the Saraya plantations are situated 2 hours away from the nearest city center, a long ride through narrow roads in the mountains, avoiding not only the pollution of the city but using the steep slopes of the mountain to prevent pests, contamination and flood damage while providing optimal sunlight for the plants to grow.

Views from one of the farms, surrounded by mountains.

On these pristine locations, each fruit is pollinated, grown and harvested by hand, without pesticides, using traditional methods that permit the purest flavor of the fruit while supporting the local economy with jobs and the continuation of the local farmer traditions.

Looking for the sweetest fruits in the farm

When visiting the farm, the monk fruit was still early for harvest, exhibiting a bright, strong green color.

The best time for harvesting monk fruit is when the fruit has a slightly yellow colour, ensuring its maximum sweetness- 300 times the sweetness of sugar!  That being said, the fruit also has a strong bitterness that makes it unsuitable for direct consumption, reducing its direct use for teas and medicine. At Lakanto, we extract the sweetening molecules of the fruit called mogrosides and produce two levels of a concentration: a 30% concentration that is 150x sweeter than sugar, and a 50% one that is 300x sweeter.

With at outer appearance similar to a kiwi, the bitterness only lets you hint the sweetness behind it.	A more mature, golden monk fruit has a much sweeter taste, but it is still not something that you would regularly eat.
Although in photos and illustrations green monk fruit may be used, the fruit is best when golden colours appear.	Farmer transporting the fruit with baskets. As the farms are in steep slopes, any machinery would only reach the entrance by the road.

A zero-emission factory that maintains the freshness

After the harvest of monk fruit, all the fruits are transported to our zero-emission factory, which is close enough to the fields in order to maintain the freshness of the fruits. The fresh fruit is then inspected, washed, crushed and slowly stepped in hot water. The sweet juice is filtered to remove fructose, sucrose and flavor-altering proteins, leaving only the mogroside behind, which is condensed and dehydrated to make a high purity monk fruit extract. 

From the residual pulp, a natural hand scrub is made and the rest is composted and redistributed to local farms.

We are always working to further reduce our waste.

We were able to visit the factory thanks that it was not being used on that day! Normally we wouldn’t be able to access it due to hygienic reasons.	Our natural hand scrub made from residual pulp.

From the high purity monk fruit extract, we finally proceed to make several sweeteners and sweetened products, with Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener at the center of it. One of the most common questions we normally have at this point is why is the monk fruit extract mixed with Erythritol, a sugar alcohol that started being used as a sweetener in the 1990s in Japan. Surely using just monk fruit would be easier, isn’t it? The answer is that since monk fruit is so sweet (remember, 300 times more!), in order to balance it and get as close to sugar’s sweetness as possible, Erythritol, much less sweet but still with 0 calories, acts as the perfect counterbalance.

What makes Lakanto monk fruit different?

We want what’s best for the health of humans and the world. Lakanto’s mission is to bring chi to life by inspiring people to reach their highest potential in health and wellness and by creating products that are innovative, delicious, natural, nutritious, and sugar-free.

This is why we refuse to compromise when it comes to creating the highest quality monk fruit extract that is best for you and for the environment.

As a result, we are able to obtain a zero net carbs, zero calories, and zero-glycemic sugar sweetener that is perfect for many diets and lifestyles, like ketogenic, diabetic, candida, paleo, vegan, low-carb, low-sugar, non-GMO and all-natural diets.

The only thing left to do is to taste for yourself!

Learn more about our Monk Fruit at our Lakanto website.

Saraya received the “SDGs Promotion Award” at the Sustainable Cosmetics Awards 2019, awarded by the social activist team “Mother Earth” and “Eco Mark Office”, operator of the only type I environmental label in Japan. The award winners were determined after a comprehensive evaluation of contributions, ideals and stories transmitted by a brand or product that are fair trade or organic, rigorously screened by the selection committee. Saraya Co., Ltd. was recognized for its outstanding SDGs activities as an organization through the skincare brand “Lactoferrin Lab.”, receiving the “SDGs Promotion Award” (see this and other prize winners in the link below).

The skincare brand “Lactoferrin Lab”, which contains a high concentration of the functional protein “Lactoferrin” that only mammals have, has received RSPO certification for “Sustainable Palm Oil”, mark displayed in the product package.  With the All-in-one beauty gel “LL Moist Lift Gel Serum”, the center of the Lactoferrin Lab. series, we are working towards developing sustainable products through various approaches such as adopting refills in order to reduce plastics. In addition, a portion of the sales of the series will be donated to JOICFP, to the “White Ribbon” campaign, while since 2018 we have donated alcohol hand sanitizers to gynecology clinics in Uganda, preventing hospital infections through the “SARAYA Safe Motherhood Project”, both social issues that our cosmetic brands target as SDGs.

• Sustainable Cosmetic Awards website (Japanese)
• Lactoferrin Lab. website
• JOICF website
• RSPO’s SARAYA page

Lactoferrin Lab. opens its own site to explain the benefits of lactoferrin as a healing agent for your skin in cosmetics.

With a line-up of 6 products that cover both skincare and inner care, Lactoferrin Lab provides you with solutions to remove make-up, wash your face, enrich your skin, moisturize, activate your skin and supplement your beauty. On the website, you can also see how SARAYA, through Lactoferrin Lab., collaborates with White Ribbon in order to help mothers around the world on their pregnancy and childbirth.

Reawaken your skin’s own beauty with Lactoferrin Lab.

Visit the Lactoferrin Lab. website here

We are happy to announce that SARAYA’s "Wash Bon Auto Soap Dispenser" won the Japan Good Design Award 2019! 

We believe this award signifies the recognition of many years of hard work for a team that continuously challenges itself during development improving the quality of our products.

The award-winning “Wash Bon Auto Soap Dispenser” is an automatic dispenser that just by waving your hands under the sensor enables the dispenser to deliver an appropriate amount of foaming hand soap on your hands. It has a rechargeable USB port and requires no batteries, running for about 3 months with just 4 hours of charging.  The liquid tank can be easily refilled and the body is water-resistant and washable.

Learn more about the product here

About Good Design Award

Good Design Award has been the sole comprehensive design evaluation and commendation system in Japan since 1957. Many companies and designers from both inside and outside of Japan participate in the activity to enhance the industry or the quality of life through design.  “G Mark”, the symbol of the award, has been recognized widely as a mark representing good design.

Good Design 2019 Award Website showcasing the Wash Bon Auto Soap Dispenser

We are happy to announce the launch of Curclean PG Guard Medicinal Toothpaste, a medicated toothpaste made with curcumin.

Periodontal diseases are said to be the largest infectious disease in human history,  with 80% of those between their 30s and 50, and 90% of those in their 60s currently suffering this infection. SARAYA, working on infectious disease prevention since its founding, has finally been able to develop a product for oral care that not only prevents and improves periodontal diseases (inflammatory conditions affecting the tissues surrounding the teeth) but also systemic diseases (diseases that affect the body as a whole, which may also show symptoms in the mouth).

Curclean PG Guard is an oral care brand developed through joint research with Osaka University’s Graduate School of Dentistry which contains turmeric-delivered curcumin that prevents periodontal diseases such as alveolar pyorrhea and gingivitis. Combining the curcumin power with cleaning agents we have made the perfect toothpaste for your daily use.

Curcumin, the latest trend in oral hygiene

Curcumin is a yellow component easily available in turmerics, typically used as a spice in curry powder. In terms of periodontal diseases, research results of the Osaka University’s Graduate School of Dentistry have revealed its effects versus the growth of the causative bacterium Pg (Porphyromonas Gingivalis) and the formation of biofilms^*1. For this and other reasons, it is a component that has been gaining attention as an oral hygiene solution^*2.

1. Aggregates formed by microorganisms on the surface of a solid phase. Dental plaque is a typical example, where antimicrobial agents and antibodies have difficulty to penetrate, so the biofilm must be mechanically destroyed for them to have its effect.
2. Izui S et al. Antibacterial activity of curcumin against periodontopathic bacteria. J Periodontol, 87(1): 83-90, 2016.

Prevent periodontal diseases, cavities, and bad breath

Containing "dipotassium glycyrrhizinate", which works as an anti-inflammatory,  Curclean PG Guard reduces gum inflammation and prevents bad breath. In addition, it contains the tooth-strengthening component “fluoride” which helps prevent cavities. The smooth flavor, low-foaming formulation of this toothpaste will enhance the effect of the fluoride while leaving no residues in your mouth with only one rinse. A toothpaste that your dentist will surely recommend.

Saraya Co., Ltd. is pleased to announce the launch of six eco-bags with original designs in order to help reduce plastic waste and create a global sustainable society.

SARAYA, which has been working on various social problems over the years such as the environmental conservation in Borneo since 2004, is trying to help in the reduction of single-use plastics shopping bags, something still widely spread even in developed countries such as Japan, and reduce the amount of plastic and microplastic in the oceans. We hope that through the use of these 6 colorful eco-bags, that can be folded into a small pouch between uses, we can help in creating a more eco-friendly lifestyle in Japan and around the world.

The designs are based on our environmental conservation projects, with images of the wildlife of the world's seas and forests, like the Borneo Elephant or life underwater.

Part of the proceeds of these eco-bags will be donated to "NPO ZERI Japan", which is working closely with the Race for Water foundation on the reduction of the amount of marine plastic waste.

• SARAYA SDGs SOLUTIONS (Japanese)
• ZERI Japan
• The Race for Water Foundation

SARAYA Co., Ltd. is pleased to announce that "SARAYA Hand Lab Hand Disinfection Spray VH" won the Japan Promotional Marketing Association Award at the 59th 2020 Japan Packaging Competition (hereinafter 2020JPC) sponsored by the Japan Printing Industry Federation.

2020JPC is a competition for the promotion of excellence in commercial packages sold in the market, evaluating products from various viewpoints such as their function/structure, design, marketability, and social considerations. The Japan Promotional Marketing Association Award, which we were awarded, selects those that have fulfilling features and a particularly excellent POP (point of purchase advertising) effect.

The award-winning "SARAYA Hand Lab Hand Disinfectant Spray VH" is a  quick-drying hand disinfectant alcohol spray product from the "Hand Lab" household infectious disease control product series, which applies SARAYA's technology used in professional fields, such as medical facilities and food hygiene, with many years of experience. 

By acidifying the pH with phosphoric acid to increase the effectiveness of its active ingredient (ethanol), it permits its application to a wide range of viruses and bacteria, including non-enveloped viruses*1, which conventional alcohol disinfectants have an insufficient effect. It also contains allantoin, a moisturizing ingredient, making this disinfectant a highly effective hand sanitizer while being gentle on skin.

This design uses a "transformation bottle", one of the main reasons for its award victory. By peeling the package label with the detailed product's features off from the bottle, it turns into a simple design bottle. This way, it will suit any interior designs throughout the year. 

*1: A virus without an envelope (lipidic membrane), which is known for its high resistance to alcohol disinfectants and heat. In recent times a new disinfectant effective against non-enveloped viruses has been developed.

What is the 2020 Japan Packaging Competition (2020JPC)?

This award of 59 years of history is given rewarding excellence of commercialized and sold packages. In addition to conventional functions such as ease of use, package designs are evaluated comprehensively and multilaterally in order to see if they meet various requirements such as safety, security, and consideration for the environment, awarding outstanding works. Also, by exhibiting the award-winning works and sharing information, we contribute to future package design development and society in general.

Click here for a list of 2020 JPC winning products (Japanese)

SARAYA Co., Ltd. is pleased to announce that we have won the 70th Industrial Technology Awards sponsored by the Osaka Industrial Research Association, in Japan, for the development technology of our foam hand soap with excellent foam quality, fragrance and dispenser compatibility. The Industrial Technology Award is a historic award given to engineers who have made great achievements in industrial research and invention, improving technology.

Saraya Co., Ltd has been working on various researches and developments that contribute to global hygiene and health at its own the Biochemical Research Center in Osaka since 1952, when we developed Japan's first medicated soap solution with special dispensers which sterilized and disinfected while washing hands, preventing infectious diseases such as dysentery in the post World War II Japan.

Although recommended to do proper hand-washing for about 30 seconds to prevent infections and food poisoning, this is often shortened in our daily lives. Our Bio-Chemical Research Institute has developed a "hand soap that makes handwashing fun and comfortable" by combining soap with Soforo, a unique SARAYA natural cleaning ingredient, creating a delicate and soft foam. In addition, we have created through groundbreaking technology a unique formula that allows changes in fragrance over time by carefully washing your hands for over 20 to 30 seconds, working as a guideline for proper hand-washing time. Lastly, we also achieved to develop a liquid agent that stably discharges without clogging automatic dispensers. These three original technologies were highly evaluated and led to this award.

These three original technologies that were highly evaluated and led to this award, are applied to "Wash Bon Prime Foam", our premium line of hand soap, that makes hand washing a comfortable habit with a soft and delicate foam scented with 100% natural essential oils. 

The Saraya Biochemical Research Center will continue to work on research and developments that contribute to the prevention of infectious diseases.

We are proud to announce that "Yashinomi Premium Power" won the "A'Design Award & Competition 2019-2020" Package Design Gold Award. 

"Yashinomi Premium Power", which was also introduced in 2018 in the  “JIDA Design Museum Selection Vol.20”, is a kitchen detergent with enhanced cleaning power that has the same core values as our other Yashinomi products: Gentleness on the skin, high biodegradability, and no fragrance or coloring.

SARAYA has co-developed this product together with Chiaki Murata, a renowned Japanese product designer, drawing on the concept of Yashinomi, which always has advocated resource-saving and household waste reduction. Combining a stylish design with easily-replaceable refill pouches we proposed a new kitchen lifestyle to the jury, who evaluated the design as excellent in both functionality and environment preservation.

At the same time, all of our Yashinomi products have acquired RSPO certification (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil; a certification system for palm oil produced in consideration of the environment and human rights). 1% of product sales (based on manufacturer's shipment sales) are donated to the Borneo Conservation Trust, an international NGO, to operate a wildlife rescue center and to restore lost tropical rainforest in Borneo, Malaysia, where most of our palm oil raw materials come from. 

What is “A'Design Award & Competition”?

It’s an annual international design competition held in Italy. As one of the world's largest competitions, it recognizes outstanding designers, design concepts, products and services, attracting participants from about 100 countries with applications in over 50 languages.

• Yashinomi Brand Website (Japanese)
• A'Design Award&Competition Yashinomi page

There is a group comprised of young and energetic people who compete in marathons, triathlons, swimming and other activities. 

They presented a project which consists in starting cycling on the occasion of the celebration of Mexico Independence Week. Starting Xochimilco, where the group will get together, they will initially cover areas of Mexico City, with plans to go to other states too.

Each course varies from 135km within Mexico City and Acapulco, and up to 300km on schedule to cover Baja California later on. For what it remains for 2020 and the entire 2021, the group will be covering over 4,500km countrywide.

In all these rides, they will display the LAKANTO brand and they will wear LAKANTO shirts as part of their uniform.

This group has caught the attention of the local and national media and it is SMX/Lakanto Mexico hope that it will project LAKANTO’s name within Mexican people, creating a link with a healthy lifestyle and connecting with the people in Mexico to find their CHI.

Dr. Yuji Murata, Ph.D Applied Life Science. Director of SARAYA Natural Materials Laboratory

SARAYA originally sold a low-calorie sweetener containing licorice and stevia extracts, first in the industry to market a sweetener made with natural ingredients, but we were concerned about the lingering sweetness of licorice and stevia, wondering if there was a better, more natural alternative.

While searching for a number of plant-derived sweetening ingredients, I came across Luo Han Guo (monk fruit), which at the time was used in just a few products in Japan due to the strong bitter, and burnt taste of the extracts available. However, as a result of diligent research, we discovered that the sweetness contained in it was very similar to sugar.

When I mentioned this to management, I was immediately told to get my passport ready and go to China with them. Taking this as a start, we succeeded in extracting a very fine sweetener (high-purity monk fruit glucoside) through our own production methods.

Based on the information that this fruit is only grown in the Guilin region of China, we traveled to the region, and with the help of its mayor and other government officials, we visited the Guilin Teacher’s College, where the fruit was being studied and grown. I will never forget the first time I plucked a ripe monk fruit from the vine and ate it as it was. It was unimaginably sweeter than the extracts we had in Japan. “This is IT!” I shouted.

Nowadays it is possible to grow monk fruit on the flatlands, but at that time it was very difficult just to reach the farm as it was grown on a steep mountain slope. It was about a two to three-hour drive from Guilin City, where there was no electricity, gas nor running water, reachable only through muddy roads. It was common for everyone to have to get off the truck in order to help to push it from behind when we were driving along the mountain roads. Also, the truck wouldn't reach the cultivation area, so we would have to hike for the last 30-40 minutes to finally get to the site. When we reached it, it was like we had successfully climbed a mountain.

Despite all these problems, we were able to supply high-quality monk fruit in order to launch  "Lakanto S".

The memory of the true taste of the monk fruit is still vividly engraved in my mind today, constantly researching ways to improve the sweetness of the monk fruit, obtaining even a patent for this product.

But I will tell you more about Lakanto next time…

See Lakanto's lineup of products here

LAKANTO’S STORY 2: WHAT’S MONK FRUIT (LUO HAN GUO)?

Dr. Yuji Murata, Ph.D Applied Life Science. Director of SARAYA Natural Materials Laboratory

The scientific name of Luo Han Guo (monk fruit) is actually a really long name "Siraitia grosvenorii C.Jeffrey ex A.M.Lu et Zhi Y.Zhang (Momordica grosvenori Swingle)".

The main areas where the fruit is grown include Yongfu, Linggui, Quanxian, Mengeshan, Quanzhou and Rong'an in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, about 100 kilometers northwest of Guilin, which is known for its scenic beauty. This is a mountainous area with big temperature differences between day and night, considered to have the best climate conditions for growing monk fruit.

Originally, the name "Luo Han" was given by a Yao tribal doctor who lived in the Guilin area during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), who discovered that the fruit had medicinal benefits.

There are many kinds of Lou Han fruits, the most popular ones being "Chantan Fruit", "Cheongbok fruit", "Winter Melon Fruit" and "Lajang Fruit".

1. The "Changtan fruit" is the best variety of monk fruit. It's a low yielding fruit per plant and is grown in a very limited area. It is suitable for cultivation in mountainous areas at an altitude of 300-500 meters.
   
   
2. The "Cheongbok fruit" variety was developed in the 1960s and accounts for about 90% of the total production of the fruit. However, its weakness is that it is susceptible to root-knot nematode damage, where parasitic root-knot nematode larvae infect the plant roots, killing young plants or decreasing yield in mature ones.
   
   
3. The “winter melon fruit” has a long cultivation history and is known for its high quality and high yield. It is suitable for cultivation in mountainous areas between 700 and 900 meters above sea level.
   
   
4. "Lajang fruit" has high quality and is relatively resistant to root nematodes, but it requires high production and management techniques, which is why it is not popular among monk fruit growers.

All monk fruits are dioecious and bear beautiful yellow flowers in June to August, with fruiting in August to October and harvesting in September to November.

The fruits are round or ovoid in shape, varying in size depending on the variety, but are about 4-6 cm in diameter and covered with mushroom hairs, of a dark green color that becomes shiny as they ripen. The underground part of the plant has *tubers, and the vines can grow up to 5 meters in length, so it is cultivated on a suspended net.

Ripe monk fruits

Since the establishment of cell culture technology a few years ago, there has been a lot of research on the cultivation of monk fruit, as well as on breeding. For example, an oval big monk fruit that is more than 7 to 8 cm in diameter is already cultivated. In the future, not only research on cultivation but also more research on the efficacy of monk fruit is expected.

In the next issue, we will talk about the cultivation and harvesting method of the monk fruit.

*An enlarged underground stem (subterranean stem) that has become spherical in shape.

See Lakanto's lineup of products here

LAKANTO’S STORY 1: FINDING THE LUO HAN GUO FRUIT

LAKANTO'S STORY 3: HOW TO CULTIVATE MONK FRUIT

Dr. Yuji Murata, Ph.D Applied Life Science. Director of SARAYA Natural Materials Laboratory

The ideal environment for growing good quality monk fruit is the subtropical mountainous region. This means the following conditions:

• Heavy rainfall
• High relative humidity (high foggy climate) and sunshine hours
• High temperature difference between day and night
• Humic soil

The monk fruit plant is a dioecious plant (it has a distinct male and female) and has pale yellow flowers, which bloom from June to August. As pollination by insects is difficult at these altitudes, artificial pollination is performed. As one can imagine, the process of manually applying pollen to the nearly infinite number of monk fruit flowers that bloom on a vast area of land dozens of times the size of a football field, one by one, takes a tremendous amount of work and patience. It then bears fruit from August to October with tubers in the ground, and the vines can grow up to 5 meters long. It is cultivated on well-drained mountain slopes, just like a vineyard.

Because the amount of monk fruit cultivation has been increasing in recent times, research on cultivation methods using cell culture rather than planting seedlings has been conducted for some time, being implemented in our farms several years ago. As a result, it can now be grown on flat fields instead of on steep mountain slopes as in the past, which improved production efficiency.

The fruit is harvested one by one by hand in October and November. I was amazed and grateful to see the farmers carrying more than 60 kilograms of the harvested monk fruits down the steep mountain roads. However, once we were able to grow in a flat field, we were able to increase work efficiency by getting trucks near the field.

It takes hundreds of days from planting the seedlings to artificially pollinate and harvest the fruit. Compared to "synthetic sweeteners" that have been used in so many food products in recent years, plant-derived products such as monk fruit are not guaranteed to produce a stable harvest every year. Cultivation of monk fruit, in particular, is labor-intensive and costly, but I believe it's something that cannot be replaced due to its safety and security.

If it was ordinary fruits and vegetables, they would be put on the market after the harvest and earn a profit. In the case of monk fruit, we have to go through a very labor-intensive process of extraction and refining.

I will explain the extraction and refining process in the next article.

See Lakanto's lineup of products here

LAKANTO’S STORY 2: WHAT'S MONK FRUIT?

LAKANTO'S STORY 4: EXTRACTION OF THE MONK FRUIT

Lakanto wins Product of the Year 2021 and is recognized by consumers for bringing innovation to the natural sweetener category in Australia. The Saraya and Lakanto team are humbled and delighted for this result that rewards our efforts of successfully applying to FSANZ to permit Monk Fruit extract as a food additive in Australia and New Zealand.

Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener was first to market in Australia in 2019 and is now ranged in over 2,500 leading retailers and health food stores nationally including Woolworths and Coles supermarkets. We continue to support a variety of consumer lifestyles and offer them a 100% natural sugar replacement that Cooks, Bakes and Tastes like Sugar.

Nielsen research surveyed 1000 consumers, who voted Lakanto Classic and Golden products as most innovative, meeting their needs and Ones to Watch in natural sweeteners for 2021.

Lakanto Sweetener winner’s page

Daily mail - The BEST supermarket products of 2021

As I mentioned in Part 3, the monk fruit flowers are pollinated one by one and carefully harvested all by hand when they are ready. Thus, it takes hundreds of days to harvest the fruit after planting, as it requires intensive labor compared to synthetic sweeteners.

Ordinary fruits and vegetables can be sold in the market immediately after they are harvested, but monk fruit goes through a very important extraction process after they are harvested.

The huge amount of fruit brought in by truck is rinsed and put into the extraction equipment as shown in the photo above. Purified water cleans the fruits of any dust or waste matter occasioned in its growth without pesticides. The fresh fruit is then introduced in hot water without any pre-treatment, such as roasting, to produce the extract of the fruit. After that, the monk fruit extract is concentrated, removing the water, using a low-temperature, vacuum concentration method, maintaining the flavor of the extract that may deteriorate if it is overheated. The fresh fruit extracted this way produces a very sweet and mellow fruit extract with a unique aroma of monk fruit.

Plant-derived sweeteners, like monk fruit sweeteners, are not guaranteed to produce a consistent harvest every year. The cultivation of monk fruit, in particular, requires a tremendous amount of labor and expense. Although its sweetness may not be as close to sugar as other synthetic sweeteners, we are convinced that it doesn’t justify a detriment in safety and security for humans.

• See Lakanto's lineup of products here
• Read again: LAKANTO’S STORY 3: HOW TO CULTIVATE MONK FRUIT

Written by Dr. Yuji Murata Director of SARAYA Natural Materials Laboratory

From September 2020, SARAYA Greentek, our branch in Viet Nam, is participating in a 5-year project, Sustainable Education For the Youth (SEFY), in collaboration with AEON Viet Nam and TopValue Viet Nam to promote Sustainable Education from an early age.

In the first phase (school year 2020-2021), the selected topic is “Clean Hands - Strengthen Future”, promoting hand hygiene in 100 kindergartens and elementary schools across Viet Nam.

Through this project, not only we are providing the school children with basic knowledge of hand hygiene to protect themselves from infectious diseases such as COVID-19, but also providing the schools with handwashing sinks & hand soaps so that children can practice handwashing daily.

Activities in the events range from a play about the importance of hand hygiene in children’s daily life, teaching the importance of handwashing by engaging the children in questions and answers, and performing the popular “Ghen Co Vy” (English: "Jealous Coronavirus") Vietnamese song and public service announcement, that was released on YouTube at the start of this year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Viet Nam.

Preview of the handbook that all children received, explaining the steps of proper hand hygiene.

The first event was celebrated on the 25th of September, 2020, at the 1-6 Kindergarten in Le Chan district, Hai Phong city, where 500 children, aged from 1 to 5 years old attended. From November 2 to November 11, 2020, we engaged 9,400 children in all educational activities to promote handwashing at 19 kindergartens and elementary schools at Le Chan district, Hai Phong city. Later, from November 30 to December 28, 2020, we will continue to provide our training of handwashing and perform other educational activities to 15,000 children at 30 kindergartens and elementary schools in Tan Phu district and Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City. Similar activities will be introduced to 50 more schools in Ha Noi city and Ho Chi Minh City from March to May 2021.

Through all these events, SARAYA Greentek and collaborators aim to provide the children with full handwashing facilities, such as hand washing basins and soaps, at the same time to teach the children Why, When, and How to wash their hands properly, also handing about 65,000 hand hygiene handbooks in the process to promote the children to practice hand hygiene frequently in their daily life to protect themselves from COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.

We are pleased to announce that Lakanto S Granules and Lakanto S Syrup, our natural sweeteners with zero calories, have been named as "Product Checked and Recommended by Physicians" as a result of an evaluation by the "AskDoctors Evaluation Service" provided by M3 Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "M3"), with 99% of the 100 physicians surveyed (July 2020 survey) agreeing that they would recommend the products. This is the second SARAYA brand that has achieved this certification after Yashinomi, our skin-friendly dishwashing detergent.

Lakanto S, a zero-calorie natural sweetener launched in Japan in 1995, is a safe, natural sweetener made from two natural ingredients: a high-purity extract from the cucurbitaceous fruit Luo Han Guo, which has long been popular as an ingredient in Chinese medicine, and erythritol, a natural sweetener derived from the fermentation of corn. It is a safe and natural sweetener that has the same sweetness level as sugar, without the need for troublesome conversions of usage amounts.

The AskDoctors Evaluation Service provided by M3 is a service in which member doctors of m3.com, a portal site for medical professionals in which about 90% of Japanese doctors (290,000 people) are registered, conduct objective evaluations using materials, experimental data, and products. The service certifies products that meet a certain standard and grants them a logo mark.

Of the 100 physicians who responded to the survey, 99% said they would "definitely recommend" or "recommend" Lakanto S Granules and Lakanto S Syrup to others.

Some doctors testimonies

• On calories and ease of use

“I was looking for a substitute for sugar because it is a carbohydrate. I heard that artificial sweeteners were bad for you, so I had been using honey as a substitute for cooking, but I was getting concerned about the calorie content. Lakanto is derived from plants and can be used in the same amount as sugar, so I think it is an excellent alternative.” - Internist, 59 years old, male

• On products of natural origin

"A natural sweetener made from natural ingredients with zero calories, that it’s safe and reliable...” - Internist, 62 years old, male

• About the taste

“This product has a natural sweetness and is calorie-free. I think this is good for people who are cooking and baking at home more often due to Covid19 pandemic restrictions.” - Physician, 30, Male

*These are individual doctor's opinions and do not guarantee the same experience.

AskDoctors Research Lakanto page (Japanese)

Yashinomi is Certified by Ask Doctors in Japan

We are pleased to announce the launch of Jojoble’s Body Oil and Hair Oil, natural cosmetics containing Egyptian Golden Jojoba Oil, and other natural ingredients such as camellia oil. Both products are made from Egyptian jojoba that grows under its harsh sun, cold-pressed to obtain a rich golden jojoba oil full of natural ingredients such as vitamin E and minerals, that will keep your skin and hair healthy and moisturized. 

Now available in a limited release, contact us through the contact page if you want to inquire about availability in your region.

Jojoble Body Oil

Made of only golden jojoba oil and natural essential oils.  As jojoba oil is a liquid wax ester, one of the components of human sebum, it penetrates well into the stratum corneum without leaving a sticky feeling, preventing moisture from escaping the skin, while improving the barrier functions of healthy skin. An original blend of natural essential oils available in two scents that subtly satisfies your mind and body. Also recommended for body massage and nail care.

Jojoble Hair Oil

 Jojoble Hair Oil is a 100% natural blend of Egyptian golden jojoba oil and carefully selected plant oils such as camellia oil, which is said to be good for your hair. Even though it’s silicone-free, the power of plants protects your hair from UV rays, dryness, and friction damage, leaving a hair full of moisture for a silky, smooth finish. As with the body oil, it is available in two different types of blend and can be used even as a styling agent.

Egyptian Desert Greening Project

More than 90% of Egypt is covered with desert. In order to contribute to the effective use of this vast desert, we established our own plantation^*1  in the Egyptian desert, greening the desert while conducting jojoba research, contributing to the protection of the environment for a sustainable society. 

SARAYA is committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

*1 Cooperating company: Simond Co., Ltd.

Lakanto, SARAYA’s natural, zero-calorie sweetener made by combining monk fruit extract and corn-derived erythritol, is now available in many parts of the world. It has gained popularity not only among users due to its health benefits but also chefs and culinary experts who trust us due to our original manufacturing methods, which focus on quality and safety without sacrificing sweetness. But how did Lakanto start its international expansion?

Starting to read the label in America

With an increased awareness of healthy eating habits in American society over the last decades, key concepts such as natural, organic, sugar-free, gluten-free, vegan, low-calorie, etc., have become more and more common in everyday vocabulary. Eating healthy has gained value over time, and after an initial focus on fat-reducing diets, diets like ketogenic, diabetic, candida, paleo, vegan, low-sugar, non-GMO, and all-natural diets have shifted it to reducing sugar, the main cause of many unhealthy lifestyles. This is how Lakanto, as a sugar substitute, has become a success in the American market.

Lakanto started operating in the United States in 2015, but its “real” introduction didn’t occur until 2016, with its participation at the Natural Products Expo, the world’s largest industrial exhibition, held in California. At that time, and up to this day, the main products sold were Lakanto Golden and Lakanto Classic; zero-calorie sweeteners with the same sweetness as sugar, containing monk fruit extract and erythritol. 

Lakanto Golden has gained from the monk fruit extract its brown sugar-like color and unique savor. It does not decompose on heating, which makes it apt to use in a wide range of dishes and confectionery. Lakanto Classic, on the other hand, is made almost white by adjusting the purity and proportions of the extract, making it  suitable for coffee, tea, and other beverages, as well as for baking cakes and pastries. Lakanto sweeteners, and Lakanto products in general, contain no sugar or other additives like extra sweeteners, colorants, bleaching, or genetically modified ingredients.

With the passing of the years, the Lakanto range of products has increased to match the demand for healthy alternatives of sweeteners, chocolates, syrups, baking mixes, cookie mixes, etc., and we are still in the process of growing even more. Retail stores and big chains, such as Costco, are already selling Lakanto, offering healthy alternatives to their customers.

In a society where revising your dietary habits as an answer to pre-existing conditions or the improvement of your general health, has become of utmost importance, Lakanto aims to help you improve your diet in an easy to implement way. Substituting sugar will help you improve your health, even with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or conditions which severity has been highlighted even more due to current spreading infections such as the Covid-19 epidemic.

An essential item in contemporary life, packaging is fundamentally important in the Japanese culture as well, as evidenced by the term tsutsumu (包む), a Japanese word that means “to wrap”, “to pack”, the ideogram of which symbolizes the image of a child inside its mother’s womb, reminiscent of the idea of protecting something that is precious. It is from this starting point that Japan House São Paulo presents the exhibit ‘Packaging: Contemporary Designs from Japan’, from January 19 to March 14, 2021, on the second floor of the institution.

Developed in partnership with the Japanese Package Design Association (JPDA), the company responsible for the Japan Package Design Awards - an award that celebrates, since 1985, designers who create packaging with a focus on the premises of creativity, aesthetics, usability, value and market potential - the exhibition will present items that reveal a lot of consumer behavior and traditions and customs present in Japanese daily life.

The show, which comes to stimulate an exchange of ideas between Brazil and Japan, brings design, sustainability and lifestyle solutions currently present in the Japanese market to the Brazilian public, including SARAYA’s Hand Lab, winner of the Japan Promotional Marketing Association Award in 2020, thanks to a “transformation bottle” design that allows you to peel its package label to become a simple, stylish bottle that matches any interior.

In Japan, every detail matters and must be considered with the utmost attention, revealing that the Japanese search for perfection and the sense of beauty can be perceived even in a simple and everyday object like packaging. 

For more information about the exhibition, click here.

In 2007, 6 years after the launch of arau., our line of natural soaps that are skin-friendly and suitable for the whole family, arau.baby was born following the steps of its parent brand but with further improvements on the ease of use. Made with natural herbs with a pleasant fragrance, it is gentle to baby's precious skin, all presented in a bottle design that makes bath time easier by allowing you to hold your baby in your other arm.

Leading up to the celebration of arau. 's 20th birthday in 2021, we have been working to take the benefits of using these brands, not only to those who grew up using them but also to the environment connected with their lives. In other words, we have taken the responsibility of protecting the health of all children, current and future, as well as of the users of our product.

An example of this thought is visible in the creation and evolution of arau. baby Foam Body Soap.

arau.baby Foam Body Soap: reducing its impact

Launched in 2011, when creating arau.baby’s Foam Body Soap bottle we aimed to balance safety and convenience with sustainability. A new bottle design was created that thanks to its easy-to-grip bottle shape and foam pump didn’t require extra effort for its use; you only needed one hand. Wide and sturdy to survive any falls and hits that a restless baby can create, its sustainability approach consisted of reducing plastic waste creation by providing pouch refills, extending the lifespan of the bottle.

As the world has realized over the years the ever-growing plastic pollution situation, we at SARAYA have also formed a plastic reduction project team to see if we can reduce the amount of plastic we use in our products without compromising neither strength nor stability. Reduce is the simplest and most basic step of the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” mantra, and although what we are doing may only be considered a small baby step, we believe that this could bring big changes in the future.

In 2020, we succeeded in reducing the bottle weight by about 5g, which is 10% of the bottle weight without changing the design, thanks to the knowledge and technology we have accumulated over the years. By February 2021, we achieved a reduction of a total of 4.7t of plastic weight, equal to reducing 104,000 bottles. That means not only less plastic but also a reduction in transportation pollution by having a lighter cargo. This is an achievement we have reached through many trials and experiments.

arau., arau.baby, and all of SARAYA’s brands continue to grow with you and your children for the future of all of us.

• Check our complete lineup of arau. and arau.baby products here.
• Visit our arau. brand site here.

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We are pleased to announce the launch of a limited edition package and a year-long campaign to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Yashinomi Detergent in Japan, our signature detergent that is gentle to hands and the environment, starting on April 1, 2021.

Nowadays, along with the spread of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), more and more companies are offering products and services that are friendly to the global environment and social issues. Consumers are becoming aware of their effects on their environment and focusing on ethical consumption, actively choosing to participate in problem-solving through their purchases. In this context, Saraya has been working to create products that aim to contribute to resolving global environmental and social issues through business since its establishment, clearly showcased on the Yashinomi brand.

New Yashinomi packaging celebrating the 50th anniversary.

Yashinomi detergent. Developed in response to environmental problems

In 1971, when "Yashinomi" was born, the pollution of rivers and lakes of Japan caused by petroleum-based detergents was a major environmental problem. As a response, SARAYA pioneered the development of plant-based dishwashing detergents with less impact on the environment by using coconut-derived cleaning ingredients, gentle to the skin, and highly biodegradable. Since its launch, all generations have loved the product for its commitment to adding nothing unnecessary to its formulation, like synthetic fragrances and coloring. But on top of that, Yashinomi has also been appreciated as a brand that truly engages in nature conservation through its initiatives.

Environmental Initiatives

Yashinomi Detergent and Biodiversity

Since 2007, SARAYA has been donating 1% of its sales (of the manufacturer's shipping value) to support conservation activities on the Malaysian island of Borneo, where we source our raw materials, with activities like the creation of "green corridors" － migratory routes to riverside forests, vital to wildlife survival. Furthermore, to address the growing demand for palm oil around the world in a sustainable way, we have obtained 100% RSPO certification (a certificate system for palm oil produced in compliance with environmental and human rights standards) for palm oil and palm kernel oil, the raw materials for part of our products, since November 2019.

Yashinomi Detergent and the Plastic Waste Issue

About 40 years ago, Yashinomi Detergent was the first brand in Japan to launch a refill pack for dishwashing detergent to address plastic waste. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the brand, we switch to eco-friendly containers made of recycled plastic and biomass plastic this fall to make the brand even more environmentally friendly.

Note: Excluding some products.

50th Anniversary Project Overview

The 50th-anniversary website page has been added, and a series of campaigns will be launched on our Japanese Instagram and LINE accounts. We will also introduce a variety of fun projects to help people understand what makes Yashinomi detergent so unique. Also, some products will come with a package featuring "Yashibo" － the palm nut fairy that had first appeared on the original bottle design.

• Special 50th-anniversary page for Yashinomi detergent (Japanese)
• Yashinomi products

Yashinomi detergent was launched in Japan in 1971 as a dishwashing detergent that is harmless to people and the earth, at the time when petroleum-based synthetic detergents were still commonly used. Made with cleaning ingredients derived from palm nuts, this plant-based detergent, gentle to the skin and highly biodegradable, doesn’t include any added fragrances or coloring, reducing its components to those only necessary for cleaning.

Several years later, in 1982, Saraya was the first in Japan to release a refill package for our dishwashing detergents. At that time, people would normally just throw bottles after usage, but we proposed a new "let's reuse bottles!" lifestyle and appealed to the world to protect its resources and reduce waste. From there on, and with the help of those who supported our brand, Yashinomi has become a long-selling product of Saraya based on the following concepts:

• Made with plant-based ingredients that gently protect your skin.
• Made with high-biodegradability components that decompose in wastewater, preserving our Earth's beauty.
• Treating our resources with care, reducing the waste we generate.

Continuing the reduction of plastic use with eco-friendly alternatives

From parents to children, to grandchildren. As generations have grown with our detergents, we have been even known in Japan as “Saraya of Yashinomi detergents”. Feeling obligated to meet our consumer expectations and support, we have taken another step in eco-friendliness this year, 2021, by starting to replace our plastic packaging with recycled or biomass plastics.

The recycled plastics we use are created from plastic that has been collected, washed, crushed, and recycled into raw material. With recycled plastic utilization growing in Japan, the amount of virgin (new) plastic can be reduced, since the physical characteristics of both plastics as a raw material have no difference.

On the other hand, biomass plastic has a completely biological origin: plants instead of petroleum. Unlike the latter, biological raw materials can be regenerated in a shorter cycle, which makes sustainable manufacturing possible.

We are still in the middle of replacing some of the plastic materials we use with these environmentally-friendly plastics, but we will continue to research other ways to gradually increase our blending ratios.

We hope that everyone who uses Yashinomi detergent will be optimistic about the future of the Earth, as we take a step forward in our efforts in protecting the environment.

• See our line of Yashinomi products here

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