Frequently asked
questions

It means we’ve checked every material and published what we found. If there’s a biological mechanism for harm and studies find effects consistent with it, we find an alternative. If we can’t find a good alternative, we don’t make the product. The full reasoning is on every product page.

From the Greek ‘έσω’ (eso) meaning ‘inner’ or ‘within’. What’s inside the product. What goes into your body. That’s the focus.

Endocrine disruptors, carcinogens, synthetic fragrances, heavy metals, microplastics, and other substances the research flags. We check the adhesives, coatings, and attachment methods too — not just the obvious materials. The specific list is different for each product and published on its page.

Most ‘eco’ brands focus on what the product is made of (bamboo, recycled plastic) but don’t disclose the adhesives, coatings, or chemical treatments. We publish every material, explain why we chose it, list what we left out, and cite the research. The product page IS the difference.

Vincent picked up a bamboo toothbrush that said ‘natural’ on the front, turned it over, and couldn’t find out what was holding the bristles in. He emailed the brand. They didn’t know either. So he looked it up himself — epoxy resin. That was the first product.

Eso World Ltd is registered in England & Wales, company number 14947193. We ship from the UK. The team is small and every email is answered personally.

No. None of our products are tested on animals. Where we reference research on our pages, those are published studies by independent researchers — we cite them for transparency, we didn’t commission them.

Most are. Some products use animal-derived materials (always disclosed on the product page). Everything else is plant-based or mineral-based. Check each product page for exact materials.

The handle is — bamboo biodegrades, plastic takes 500+ years. But the bristles and adhesive matter more. Most bamboo toothbrushes still use nylon bristles (petroleum plastic that sheds microplastics during brushing) attached with epoxy resin (contains bisphenol A diglycidyl ether, a known endocrine disruptor). Our toothbrushes use natural boar or horsehair bristles pressure-fitted with zero adhesive. The handle is bamboo, but that’s the least important part.

Depends on the type. Activated carbon (like binchotan charcoal sticks) removes chlorine and volatile organic compounds through adsorption. KDF-55 (in our shower filter) removes chlorine and heavy metals through electrochemical reaction. Neither removes fluoride or bacteria — no carbon filter does. Water distillation removes 99.9% of all contaminants, with post-distillation carbon sachets catching residual VOCs.

Only if they block enough blue light. Most blue light glasses with clear or yellow lenses block 20–40% — not enough to meaningfully affect melatonin production. Research shows you need to block close to 100% of blue light in the 1–2 hours before bed to support natural melatonin onset (Burkhart & Phelps, 2009). Our red-lens glasses block 99.9%. The lens colour is the active ingredient.

Microplastics have been detected in human blood for the first time (Leslie et al., 2022). They’re in tap water, seafood, and the air. The long-term health effects are still being studied, but the precautionary principle suggests reducing exposure where practical. Activated carbon filtration reduces some microplastic contamination. The bigger source for most people is synthetic clothing — a single polyester garment sheds up to 700,000 microplastic fibres per wash.

Eco-friendly focuses on the planet — recyclable packaging, sustainable sourcing, carbon footprint. Eso-Friendly focuses on you — what’s in the product, what goes into your body, and what the research says about it. A bamboo toothbrush can be eco-friendly (bamboo handle is sustainable) while still using nylon bristles and epoxy resin glue (which go in your mouth). We check for both, but we lead with what touches your body.

Correct. It’s 100% organic cotton — cotton is a natural fibre that does not shed microplastic particles. Polyester and nylon are plastics. When you wash a polyester gym bag, it releases up to 700,000 microplastic fibres into the water system (Napper & Thompson, 2016). Cotton releases cotton fibres, which are biodegradable.

Yes. Some products are cheaper when you buy more — the pricing and discount tiers are shown on each product page. The discount applies automatically at checkout.

Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Shop Pay. All payments are processed securely through Shopify.

Not yet. Email us if you’d like to buy a product as a gift — we can include a note with the order.

Orders are dispatched within 0–1 business days (cut-off 14:00 UK time). UK delivery via Royal Mail Tracked 48 takes 2–3 business days. International delivery via GlobalPost DDP takes 7–21 business days depending on destination.

UK: free over £10, otherwise a flat £2.99 via Royal Mail Tracked 48. International: a flat £12.99 to every destination worldwide via GlobalPost DDP DDP — duties and taxes are prepaid, so you won’t get a bill at the door.

Yes, we ship to most non-EU destinations worldwide. EU buyers are served through our Etsy storefront instead, which handles EU-local VAT and IOSS compliance. International orders ship DDP — duties and taxes are collected at checkout and prepaid to the destination authority, so there are no surprise charges on delivery. Full tracking is included.

We direct EU-based buyers to our Etsy store (https://esoworldstore.etsy.com) because Etsy handles EU-local VAT registration, IOSS compliance and the 14-day withdrawal period required under the EU Consumer Rights Directive. You’ll find the same range there.

You’ll receive a confirmation email with a tracking link as soon as your order ships. If you haven’t received it within 3 business days, check your spam folder, then email us.

If it hasn’t shipped yet, email hello@esoworld.co.uk and we’ll sort it. Once it ships, we can’t modify it — but you can return within 30 days of delivery.

No. You can check out as a guest. Creating an account lets you track orders, but it’s not required.

30 days from delivery. Used or unopened, it doesn’t matter — we understand you need to try a product to know if it works for you. The legal minimum is 14 days. We give you longer.

Email hello@esoworld.co.uk with your order number and a brief reason (this helps us improve — it doesn’t affect your refund). We respond within 24 hours. In most cases, we process the refund without asking you to return the product.

Once approved, refunds are processed within 5–7 business days. Depending on your bank, it may take an additional 3–10 days to appear on your statement.

Email us with photos within 7 days of delivery. We’ll send a free replacement immediately without requiring you to return the damaged item.

Email hello@esoworld.co.uk. Every message is read and answered personally within 24 hours. No bots, no ticket queues, no phone trees.

Yes. If you’re a retailer, press outlet, or organisation interested in stocking Eso World products, email hello@esoworld.co.uk with details about your business and we’ll send you our trade terms.