Puracy
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The Shifting Gaia rating evaluates brands based on sustainable practices, ingredients and materials, and social responsibility, among others. Below are a few factors influencing this brand's score:
overview
about
Puracy is a U.S.-based home and personal care brand selling refillable cleaners, soaps, and baby products. Highlights
• Refillable glass & aluminum
• Concentrated formulas
• Plant-based biodegradable surfactants
• Cruelty-free & vegan
• Carbon-offset shipping
sustainability
details:
Packaging
The company has moved from single-use plastics to innovative reusable systems. Most product bottles, pumps, and caps are made from PET plastic that is 100% recyclable. Puracy encourages customers to reuse durable “Infinity” glass bottles for its products, leveraging refill pouches that use 90% less plastic, water, and energy than equivalent bottled packaging.
In 2023, Puracy introduced the Clean Can refill system: a reusable PETG bottle base with a pump, paired with refills packaged in standard aluminum cans. All these materials – glass, PETG, and aluminum – are widely recyclable or reusable, enhancing circularity. Puracy also opts for minimalist, easily recyclable shipping materials.
While we found no specific mention of FSC-certified paper or biobased inks, the overall packaging approach is clearly focused on recyclability and refillability.
Ingredient Sustainability
Coconut or vegetable-derived surfactants (glucosides, betaines, taurates) form the cleansing base of each product. These surfactants and enzymes are known to be readily biodegradable in wastewater treatment and natural environments. Fossil-derived ingredients are minimal: for instance, the presence of an ethoxylated alcohol suggests a petroleum-origin ethylene oxide in its production, but Puracy still classifies it as plant-based. Preservatives and stabilizers used (e.g. benzisothiazolinone, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, gluconolactone) are effective at low concentrations and are readily biodegradable or food-grade.
Many formulas utilize naturally sourced fragrances or essential oils (e.g. organic lemongrass oil in one surface cleaner variant), instead of petroleum-based synthetic perfumes.
Energy Use and Footprint
As an online-focused brand, Puracy recognized shipping emissions as a key issue and As an online-focused brand, Puracy recognized shipping emissions as a key issue and offsets the carbon footprint of every order through reforestation projects with Pachama through reforestation projects with Pachama. In addition, Puracy's product strategy inherently lowers emissions: the use of ultra-concentrated formulas (for cleaners, detergents, etc.) means less water and weight are shipped per usage. No public data was found about renewable energy usage at facilities or specific emission reduction targets beyond shipping offsets.
Waste Management
Puracy omits phosphates, chlorine, and other pollutants from products, preventing hazardous waste from entering waterways. In manufacturing, keeping production domestic allows closer monitoring of waste handling and water treatment under U.S. regulations, though specific data on factory waste diversion or water conservation was not found.
Puracy's product strategy inherently mitigates waste: refillable containers and concentrates mean customers throw away far fewer bottles and use less plastic over time. The company claims its refill approach has saved hundreds of tons of plastic and prevented hundreds of thousands of bottles from becoming waste.
Business Model
Puracy's business model actively promotes mindful consumption and long-term sustainability over short-term sales. The company's refill and reuse approach is core to its model: many products are sold with refill pouches or cartridges and reusable dispenser bottles.
Notably, the brand does not drive excessive product launches; since its founding in 2013 with a handful of items, it has grown its line carefully to cover needs (home care, personal care, baby, etc.) without flooding the market with superfluous products.
non-toxic
details:
Puracy excels in offering products that are safe for human use, free of known harmful chemicals, and fully transparent in their ingredient disclosure. No known toxins or controversial chemicals are present in the formulations (as seen in the ingredient lists above). In fact, Puracy has a strict internal blacklist: “we pledge never to use sulfates, phosphates, phthalates, parabens, artificial fragrance, perfume, dyes, bleach, chlorine, or triclosan.”
A review of Puracy's product labels confirms the absence of parabens (preserved instead with alternatives like sorbate and benzisothiazolinone), no phthalates (fragrances are naturally derived and phthalate-free), no polyethylene glycol (PEG) compounds, and no ethanolamine derivatives (DEA/MEA/TEA are not used). They also avoid common skin irritants like SLS/SLES, opting for much milder sulfate-free surfactants. For example, the foaming hand soap uses coco-glucoside and other gentle cleansers instead of sodium lauryl sulfate, making it non-drying and safe even for sensitive skin.
social responsibility
details:
Puracy is a smaller, privately owned company based in Austin, TX, and it manufactures its products in the United States. Producing domestically implies compliance with U.S. labor laws (fair wages, OSHA safety standards, no child labor, etc.), which provides a baseline of responsible labor practice.
Puracy is 100% cruelty-free and vegan, with robust third-party verification. The company has earned certifications from both Leaping Bunny and PETA to confirm that no animal testing is conducted at any stage of product development.
From its inception, the brand adopted a charity-support model: with every purchase, Puracy makes a direct donation to local charities that help families and children in need. Beyond product donations, Puracy demonstrates community engagement through education and advocacy.