Frequently Asked Questions

We always aim to offer you breakthrough innovations, ensuring our products harness the most effective tropical ingredients and cutting-edge green science to guarantee visible results. While we seek to keep price increases at a minimum, we have a commitment to quality, sustainability and the highest-performing formulations – and that comes at a cost, but we believe your skin is always worth investing in.

We've followed the science and made formulation upgrades across our core skincare range, meaning we've taken the rare decision to slightly up the price of some of these products. This new pricing means we can continue innovating the most effective, clinically-backed skincare that’s healthy for you and the planet.

To help you make both cost-effective and eco-conscious choices, we now offer BIGGER savings on our skincare refills. Plus, you will still enjoy free products as part of the Essential and Enhanced Collections too.

We’ve reimagined our build-your-own skincare collections, updating their names and reworking what’s included, to make finding your perfect routine even easier. 

The Essential Collection (formerly our ABC Skincare Collection) includes the daily must-haves for healthy skin. Featuring the three non-negotiable steps (Cleanse, Tone and Moisturise) everyone needs – no matter their age or skin goals – each collection also comes with your choice of one FREE elevated treatment (worth £22).

The Enhanced Collection (formerly our À La Carte Skincare Collection) is for those ready to spend a little bit more on supercharging their routine for ultimate results. This collection features your chosen Essential Collection, FREE elevated treatment (worth £22) and two targeted daily supplements for the price of one.

We don’t giveaway or sell single-use sample products. 

The cosmetics industry produces 122 billion plastic sachets each year and this is expected to rise to 1 trillion by 2030.  

That’s why we’ve always committed to never use single-use sachets. If a customer wants to try a product, we offer travel-sized versions of our bestsellers with up to two weeks' worth of product to enjoy.  

We also offer a 30-Day Happiness Guarantee so if a customer chooses a product, then decides it’s not quite right, they can return it to us.

INNERBOTTLE™ is a clever balloon made from medical-grade silicone and is free from BPA. The airless technology keeps our formulas fresh and ensures minimal product waste, as you can squeeze out every last drop of goodness. The balloons can be sent back to Tropic HQ for recycling, to help save resources and further reduce waste! You can benefit from the INNERBOTTLE™ in all our facial moisturisers: Skin Feast, Fresh Waves, Skin Re-Leaf and Skin Dream.   

Every product’s packaging in the skincare collection is now either recyclable, reusable, or refillable. These small changes make significant progress towards minimising our environmental impact through sustainable packaging.  

However, each local government council has different recycling abilities, so it's worth checking in with them about which materials are recyclable in your local area.  

We're always working towards our packaging becoming more environmentally friendly, and many of our products offer a refillable option too. Click here to find out more about our Return, Recycle, Reward Scheme.  

Yes! We are proudly certified by Cruelty Free International, PETA and The Vegan Society. 

Yes! We are proudly certified by The Vegan Society, as well as Cruelty Free International and PETA. 

Yes! Forget harmful chemicals, artificial preservatives and synthetic colours. You deserve better. That's why you'll never find any of the following in our formulations: 

• ALS  
• Formaldehydes   
• Lanolin   
• Methylisothiazolinone   
• Microbeads   
• Mineral oil and petroleum   
• Nanoparticles   
• Oxybenzone or reef-damaging sunscreen   
• Parabens   
• Phenoxyethanol   
• Phthalates  
• SLS  
• Talc   
• Triclosan   
• Unstainable palm oil or derivatives 

We sustainably source our ingredients from tropical regions all over the world. We work with co-operative farmers to ensure that our ingredients are of the highest quality, while remaining sustainable. 

We take a proactive approach to managing any potential risks in our supply chain, especially for ingredients like mica, which is linked to child labour concerns in some regions. To ensure ethical standards, we exclusively source all our mica from the USA, eliminating any risk of slavery or human trafficking within our business or supply chains. Our suppliers are also active members of the Responsible Mica Initiative (RMI). While they source mica only from regions free of child labour and exploitation, they remain committed to improving conditions in affected areas globally.

When you see one of our products labelled ‘COSMOS Certified Organic’ it’s a trust guarantee letting you know that the product you’re looking at is (you guessed it) entirely organic! The COSMOS standard is managed by a not-for-profit international and independent association that operates all over the world, and is the gold standard when it comes to creating products that are as kind as possible to skin and the planet. To find out more, click here. 

Powered by blockchain and open data, Provenance® brings together all the need-to-know ethical stories on each of our products in accessible, clear, and comprehensible Proof Points. This lets us verify all the ways we’re helping to carve out a better future for our world and allows you to shop in confidence that our impact is real. For more information on how Provenance® works, click here. 

On our website, you’ll find a ‘Shop By Concern’ dropdown menu. From here, you’ll be able to select your skin type and discover the products that are best suited to your individual complexion.  

So, whether you have balanced, oily, ageing, dry, sensitive, breakout-prone, or combination skin, it’s easy to choose formulas that match your unique complexion and skin goals.  

You can also build a regime that’s totally bespoke to you by using our Skincare Routine Finder. Just answer a few questions, and you’ll recieve personalised recommendations in a matter of minutes.  

Firstly, our in-house chemists and biochemists spend months testing, trialling, and adapting formulas, before they are sent to ISO-certified, independent labs. Here, they are met by qualified dermatologists, who vigorously test their performance on real life skin, under clinical conditions.   

The tests cover everything - there are Sebometers to measure changes in skin’s sebum production, Skin Hydration Meters to measure moisture and the VisioFace Skin Imaging Analysis – a 360 machine that can measure skin texture, wrinkle depth, brightness, UV damage, and even take 3D pictures of your skin.    

A before and after is measured across all participants and an average percentage of improvement calculated by the dermatologists. You can find the clinical data on product pages, backed up by Provenance, our independent verifier.    

All our products, outside of Youth Potion, have been assessed and are safe for use during pregnancy. Due to its inclusion of vitamin A derivative retinal (which is advised unsafe for use during pregnancy) Youth Potion, like all vitamin A-infused products, must carry a pregnancy warning.

Ingredients such as salicylic acid and essential oils are used in concentrations that do not constitute any form of pregnancy risk or complications. If you have any other concerns due to your individual circumstances, such as taking prescribed medication, we recommend consulting your doctor, midwife or other caregiver.  

Natural skincare means that products contain ingredients which are predominantly of natural origin. It can be a difficult to define term, and can sometimes be used in unethical ways. It's important to note that just because a product claims to be natural, it may not be 100% natural, and may still contain some less-than-ideal ingredients. It's also important to note that just because an ingredient is natural, doesn't mean it's safe - after all, cyanide is of natural origin!  

To us, natural skincare means that we have enriched our products with safe, premium, naturally-effective ingredients wherever possible, without ever compromising on results. We say our ingredients are 'naturally derived', as typically 'natural' ingredients are raw, unmodified ingredients as they are produced by nature, such as flowers. Naturally derived ingredients have been through a process, such as distilling essential oils from flowers, which means they aren't how nature grew them.  

On each piece of skincare, hair care and body care packaging, you will see the percentage of naturally-derived ingredients. All of our skincare is 100% naturally derived, however some of our hair care contains nature identical ingredients, and some of our makeup is formulated with safe synthetic pigments.  

Most importantly, all of our ingredients are displayed in plain English (as well as the traditional latin INCI) both on our products and website, so it's easy to decipher what you're applying to your skin.  

If you would like to read more on how to understand what's in your products, click here to visit our Skincare Science Glossary.  

Most of our Tropic range is gluten-free and this includes the oat derivatives we use in the following freshly made formulations:

1. Eye Dream
2. Eye Work
3. Skin Dream
4. Electric Bloom
5. Feel Fresh
6. Super Food Hand Therapy
7. Skin Re-Leaf
   

Please note: All Cleansing Body Pebbles and our Hair Feast Deep Conditioning Treatment do contain wheat bran and wheat proteins, so are not classed as gluten-free.

For these products (and any you may be concerned about), we'd suggest patch testing before use.

If you have a severe gluten allergy, we strongly recommend avoiding use of the Body Pebbles and Hair Feast completely.

As always, we provide English ingredients for every product in our range to give you peace of mind when shopping.

Although nut oils and butters are not classed as an allergen in regards to skincare, we are aware of the concerns about these ingredients and reactions on the skin and would always recommend a patch test if you’re unsure about your skin’s reaction.  

We list all our ingredients in plain English on the product packaging and on our website, so you know exactly what you’re putting on your skin. While usually the processing of the raw nut to an oil or butter removes the proteins associated with an ingested allergy, we recommend those with a severe nut allergy to avoid those products with nut derivatives listed in the ingredients list, especially those with Macadamia, Tamanu or Shea. These oils and butters are what we refer to as “cold press” oils.   

Whilst we make every attempt to ensure that the labelling of our products lists all of the ingredients used, our products are manufactured in an environment containing nuts, nut oils and nut derived ingredients.  

For more information please click here.   

We don't use any artificial preservatives. Instead, some of our products contain a safe, natural preservative system. This is required to prevent the growth of bacteria, yeast and mould when the product has got water, as water is required for them to grow. So where water is present in our formulations, we use safe and gentle preservatives. Wherever possible, we also use innovative packaging and some waterless formulations. 

Everyone's skin is unique, so the products that suit you are unique too. We believe that the plants and fruits that grow in tropical climates, with a generous helping of sunshine, are the most nutritious for your skin, as they are abundant in minerals and vitamins. We pack many exotic natural extracts into our products, as Mother Nature usually offers the most nutritious, skin-loving option. Sometimes, this is not the case, such as when ingredients can't be sourced sustainably, so we do occasionally use nature identical or safe synthetic ingredients in our products. Read more about us and our natural products here. 

AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids) and BHA (beta hydroxy acids) are chemical exfoliators which slough away dead skin cells with various penetration levels. AHAs gently remove skin cells from the outermost layer of our skin, tackling dark marks, blemishes, texture/fine lines and dull skin. BHAs penetrate deeper into the pores and are great for tackling acne, blemishes, excessive oil secretion and inflamed breakouts, without stripping or causing discomfort to the skin.  

AHA and BHAs can be used daily, depending on the formulation and concentration of the product. Our Fruit Peel serum includes both AHAs and BHAs for optimum results and due to its concentration, shouldn’t be used every day. This can be used up to 3 times a week, every other evening, depending on your skin's needs. As the new skin revealed is particularly photosensitive, it’s important to always follow up with an SPF every day. Find out more in our Skincare Science Glossary.  

We have products to suit every skin type! To find products perfect for your skin, why not use our Skincare Routine Finder, which serves up a tailor-made routine suited to your skin type and concerns in just a few clicks! 

To become a Tropic Ambassador, all you need is a passion for beauty and a Tropic Starter Kit, which costs £198. We provide the rest to ensure you have every opportunity for success. To find out more about how to join, click here.  

Our founder and CEO, Susie Ma, is the sole owner of Tropic. We’re proud to be a 100% female founder-owned company.

Our Founder and CEO Susie Ma started Tropic when she was a teenager, firstly with our now bestselling Body Smooth Refreshing Polish at London's Greenwich Market to help her mum pay the household bills. Tropic was officially launched in 2011. 

Tropic HQ is based in Croydon, Surrey. All elements of our business from our Innovation Lab, Product Kitchen, and Ingredients Pantry to our office, packing, and dispatch teams, all operate here under one roof. Want a tour? Watch this video.