Zest-it is made here in the UK, it is a natural solvent made from 'pure food grade' ingredients - the zest from the peel of oranges, which is why it smells of oranges i.e. citrus smell. It does not mix with water.

You can prove for yourself that the zest of an orange will remove oil paint - as you peel an orange, the skin will exude/spurt an oil onto your hands (citrus oil) as it tries to protect the seeds it holds from being eaten, this oil will remove oil paint from the skin and clothes.

The citrus oil would, for many people, be too strong to use on it's own, so it is diluted with a non-ozone depleting hydrocarbon type solvent, that is non-toxic, non-flammable and with a low vapour pressure. The 'low vapour pressure' means there is very little emission of any part of Zest-it to the atmosphere.

The product has undergone much testing, both here and in the USA. The Environmental Health and Safety test products for personal exposure, with regards to irritation of the skin and eyes; ingestion and inhalation; of the original undiluted product. These are the results for Zest-it.

Skin irritation has four categories -
1 for non-irritating - must rate between 0.00 and 1.90;
2 for moderately irritating - must rate between 2.00 and 4.90;
3 for Primary skin irritant - rated 5.00 and over;
4 for corrosive.
Zest-it comes into category 1 with a score of 0.02.
If your skin already shows any form of sensitivity in the way of dermatitis or a know skin allergy, then Nitrile gloves are recommended. Zest-it removes oil paint from brushes, and because it removes oils, it can also remove your skins natural oils, so prolonged contact may cause skin dryness and cracking.
As always when you are painting, 'common sense' needs to prevail, if you know you always have 'wet' hands from using solvents, then frequent washing with a good quality soap, that puts the oils back into your skin, is an excellent painting practice.

Eye irritation has four categories also -
1 for non-irritating - must rate between 0.00 and 15.00
2 for slightly irritating - must rate between 15.10 and 25.00 (the effects clear within 7 days)
3 for moderately irritating - must rate between 25.10 and 50.00 (the effects clear within 21 days)
4 for severely irritating (or corrosive) (the effects persist for 21 days or more)
Zest-it comes into category 1 with a score of 0.00.
Again 'common sense' is needed, if you know you splash the solvent around then wear protective goggles.

Ingestion (eating or drinking) of the original undiluted product has three categories -
3 for highly toxic - less than 50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight.
2 for toxic - between 50 and 5000 milligrams per kg of body weight.
1 for non-toxic - more than 5000 milligrams per kg of body weight.
Zest-it comes into category 1 and has a score of 17,750 mg per kg of body weight.
So if you weighed about 8 stone/51 kg you would need to ingest about 1 litre (just under 2 imperial pints) before it became lethal, but for a child weighing only 1 stone then the quantity would be 130 ml (just over ¼ of a imperial pint), hence 'keep out of reach of children'.

Inhalation (breathing) of the original product has three categories -
3 Highly toxic - less than 2 milligrams per litre by volume when inhaled continuously for an hour or less.
2 Toxic - more than 2 milligrams but less than 200 milligrams per litre by volume when inhaled continuously for an hour or less.
1 Non-Toxic - more than 200 milligrams per litre by volume when inhaled continuously for an hour or more.
Zest-it is classed as Non-toxic being rated 800/1200 mg per litre by volume, therefore adequate natural ventilation will suffice in most instances.

Carcinogenicity  listing - NPT - None; IARC - None; OSHA - None; ACGIH - None.

Flammability - Don’t forget, the higher the materials flash point, the less flammable it is. -
A flash point of between 30 - 40 ºC is flammable.
Zest-it has a flash point of 67ºC and is classed as Non-flammable but it is best kept away from sources of ignition.

Zest-it has a Harmful notice on the label stating 'may cause lung damage if swallowed' this is because - if the product was swallowed and the person vomited and the vomit entered the lungs, it could cause bronchopneumonia. It also states 'may cause skin dryness and cracking' this is because prolonged contact - keeping the hands wet with Zest-it - will remove the natural oils from the skin, causing the skin to dry and further prolonged contact can cause cracking. Hence the label states 'wash hands after use'.

Zest-it can be used with oil or wax based media, it leaves no residue after evaporating, therefore when used on paper products, it will not rot the paper.

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