When Amy Ziff found out her twins were extremely allergic to seemingly everything, she was determined to help not only them but also many other families like hers — simply because no one else was doing it.
In 2015, Ziff founded MADE SAFE, a product certification program that screens non-toxic products for families and kids. Today, the program is home to 3,000 rigorously certified products across beauty, bedding, pets, baby, personal care, home, and more, including brands like Wayfair, Avocado, Fontana Candle Co., and AH! YES.
It's one thing to want quality products that are good for our bodies and the planet, but finding them is a different story. MADE SAFE addresses that problem through a detailed, multifaceted screening program. The company's twelve-step evaluation process is no joke with one of the most thorough human health standards on the market.
From weeding out whether any of their 6,500 banned substances exist in a product to requiring that companies sign a manufacturing transparency agreement, MADE SAFE does thorough, scientific, and independent evaluations so parents don't have to. The non-profit's purpose all harkens back to Ziff's own experiences as a mother.
"My kids are the reason I do what I do," Ziff told Eco18 in an interview.
Ziff, who herself faced rare and isolating allergies as a kid, was shocked at the extent of her twins' allergies to everyday items like diapers and wipes. Most doctors recommended a steroid cream or other means, but she didn't want to take that route.
"I thought, this doesn't have to be the way it is," she explained in an interview with The Brain Possible podcast. "So I thought, 'I've got to be able to fix this, there must be something I can do.'"
As a mom with a master's degree in journalism, she went down the rabbit hole researching toxins in products. Ziff had also worked for over a decade as an entrepreneur, founder, and creative director across several successful companies. She knew she could harness that experience to build MADE SAFE into a reliable place where parents could find products they trust.
MADE SAFE has also joined forces with several other non-profits, like Amazon's Climate Pledge Friendly Program and Good Housekeeping's annual sustainability summit. It's all part of Ziff's belief that real change has to come from the ground up.
"What is popular [and] selling, that sends the biggest message," she told The Brain Possible. "We have to do this ourselves, and we can start to eliminate harmful chemicals in our own lives, and the wider community and country by voting with our dollars, and that's why it's so important we do it."
You can see MADE SAFE's full catalog of products here.
Follow The Cool Down on Instagram and subscribe to our newsletter.
Cool Picks
