Dolomia does not and has never tested its raw materials, semi-finished or finished products on animals in any stage of the production process. Furthermore, in 2009 testing of cosmetic products and ingredients on animals was prohibited by law throughout the European Union.  Our products do not carry the words "Not tested on animals" or “cruelty free” on their labels because it is a legal requirement we respect and take for granted.

The colouring and covering effect of decorative cosmetics is obtained by adding pigments to the formula. These pigments are insoluble in the medium in which they are dispersed and make it opaque.  Pigments can be of natural or synthetic origin.

Pigments of natural origin are extracted from rocks and minerals and undergo many purification processes.  Traces of unwanted heavy metals (in the region of a few ppm) can, however, remain and constitute an impurity.

Our laboratory checks the entire supply chain, from the raw materials to the finished product, in order to guarantee that these metals are completely absent or are present only in a quantity below the potential risk threshold.

This is because nickel and cobalt, like other heavy metals, can be present as impurities in make-up.  By definition, impurities are small amounts of unwanted substances which cannot be completely eliminated using the technologies we have today. Traces of heavy metals found in make-up are due to pigments that provide the colour and covering effect of make-up. With the technologies at our disposal today, we can obtain very pure pigments but there may be traces of heavy metals (including nickel and cobalt) in the pigment which are technologically impossible to remove. As a result, these traces are then found in the cosmetic product. This is why no decorative cosmetic can be defined as “nickel free”. 

We therefore recommend checking individual sensitivity before using a product: apply the cosmetic to the inside of your forearm, cover it with gauze and leave it touching the skin until the next morning. Wash the area with regular neutral soap and water. Check the area for 4 days to see if any redness or reactions develop. If there is a reaction within 24 hours, it is probably just an irritation. If, on the other hand, a reaction appears 24/48 hours after removing the cosmetic, it may be an allergy. 

In the first case, it is best not to use that particular cosmetic (e.g. eyeshadow no...). In the second case, it is advisable not to use any cosmetics of that kind (no kind of eyeshadow of any brand) before you have performed a patch test to determine the cause of the allergy. 

Cosmetics you should be most careful with are those with darker and more intense shades because they contain more pigments.

Dolomia cosmetics are randomly tested for gluten but no traces have been found.

However, as we do not test all our production batches, we prefer not to write “gluten free” on the packaging. 

The FAQs section of the Italian Coeliac Association website states that any gluten in cosmetics, including lip products that may be swallowed, does not pose a risk for coeliac sufferers.

Our laboratory uses the minimum possible amount of preservatives in its cosmetic products, favouring the use of substances providing a greater degree of safety and ingredients with a bacteriostatic or bactericidal action without the undesirable side-effects of traditional preservatives. Our compliance with precise hygiene and good manufacturing practice standards during production enables us to reduce sources of contamination and, therefore, also the amount of preservatives needed to ensure product stability over time to the minimum. 

None of the following preservatives are used in any of our products: triclosan, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, 5-bromo-5-nitro-1,3-dioxane, 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol, benzylhemiformal, quaternium-15, diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea (only in leave-on products), sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, DMDM hydantoin.

Dolomia cosmetics do not contain this type of preservation system in their formulas.  We also carry out specific tests to check for traces of parabens, as stated on the label (“Paraben tested”).

Dolomia formulas do not contain animal derivatives, except for certain documented products which pose no risk, such as those derived from bees (specifically beeswax).

Dolomia products contain mainly plant-based, synthetic or semi-synthetic (biotechnological) ingredients because, from a technological point of view, they guarantee a higher degree of purity and traceability.

At Dolomia our top priorities when choosing our ingredients are their safety, purity and stability. 

At the moment, however, we are not vegan certified.