Happy Earth Day! 🙂 While many companies have one-day sales or release a special collection in honour of this occasion, we’ve researched six different brands that have made being eco-friendly a true priority. From using sustainable ingredients to reducing packaging, limiting harmful ingredients or giving back, these companies are taking care of our planet and making you look good in the process.
{Look Good, Do Good:
6 Eco-Friendly Brands to Add to Your Beauty Bag}
Disclaimer: The products mentioned below were received at no cost for editorial consideration. All opinions are my own.
It seems like every day there’s a new concern about the state of our environment. And while we all know the basics of how to help (don’t litter, drive less, eat plant-based protein as much as possible, etc.), sometimes it can be overwhelming to think about how to go green with your beauty routine.
A lot of that has to do with the bad rap that eco-friendly beauty products have gotten in the past. But with the whole world moving towards more ecologically responsible choices, there are more products available than ever, and even the big brands have started to listen! So going green might not be as big of an adjustment as you think.
Read on for more details about our favourite eco-friendly options for:
- Body wash
- Deodorant
- Lip balm
- Contour palette
- Moisturizing shampoo
- Fragrance
- False eyelash adhesive
Live Clean
We’re big fans of Live Clean here at TBR, and their latest releases are no exception. Live Clean’s new Foaming Body Wash ($9.29) has a rich, hydrating formula with a gorgeous range of scents. And their Deodorant ($7.79) is the best natural one I’ve ever used! It’s soothing, non-whitening, and it works. The transition period was only a few days (as opposed to week-long ones I’ve experienced with other brands), and I haven’t felt the need to re-apply in the afternoons. With 99% natural ingredients – and no aluminum, silicone, phthalates or phosphates – it provides odour protection without ecological compromise.
Kariderm
Shea butter is one of those ingredients that seems to pop up everywhere. You know it’s good for you, but what you may not know is that it’s extremely labour-intensive to produce. Kariderm has partnered with the women’s cooperative in Burkina Faso that produces the shea butter used in their products, and has several initiatives in place to protect the health and safety of the workers. The shea butter is ECOCERT certified as being organic and fair trade, and Kariderm has even built and equipped a nursery inside the women’s cooperative, to provide health care and childcare for the workers and their families.
My fave Kariderm product right now is the Organic Lip Balm in Mint ($4.95). It feels rich and hydrating to my chapped lips, keeping them soft and protected. As an added bonus, shea butter has natural UV protection, so it helps shield against sun damage, too!
Arbonne
Arbonne is one of the few large companies that have made a concerted effort to be eco-friendly since the beginning. Their huge range of products is vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, and cruelty-free. They refrain from using over 2,000 common ingredients that have been identified as being potentially harmful, including phthalates, petroleum, SLS, parabens, or synthetic fragrances and dyes. Arbonne has a direct sales platform, but you can also purchase products from their website.
The Starlight Glow Palette ($81) has been my go-to for contour lately. The colours work beautifully together, and blend smoothly with no fallout. I love that there is a matte shade as well as shimmer, and that they’re subtle enough for everyday use. It’s pricey, but the pan sizes are generous enough that you’ll be using the palette for a while.
Phyto
As you may guess based on the name (phyto is Greek for “plants”), Phyto has always been a natural brand. In fact, Phyto was conceived in the early 1960s when founder Patrick Alès noticed that the stylists at his Paris salon were getting skin reactions from the chemicals in the hair products they were applying to their clients. He set out to develop natural alternatives, and over the past 50 years, Phyto has created botanically based hair care and styling products to address any hair need. Phyto products are 95%-100% natural, without mineral oils, silicones, parabens, colorants, or synthetic alcohols.
To celebrate their 50th anniversary, Phyto has reformulated their cult favourite Phytojoba ($20). This moisturizing shampoo is actually a milk containing mallow extract, jojoba oil, and hyaluronic acid to soften and repair dry hair. It’s lighter than oil, so it won’t weigh hair down, making it perfect for warmer weather.
Clean Beauty Collective
Aside from essential oils, “natural” is probably the last thing you think of when you consider fragrance. Most perfumes contain ingredients that seem that they’d be a better fit in a chemical laboratory than in a beauty product! But there are eco-friendly alternatives available, and one brand that I’m really impressed by is Clean Beauty Collective.
Clean Beauty sources sustainable vetiver from Haiti – supporting education and health care for the farmers and their families – and funds a program that provides safe drinking water to the community. Their fragrances are gluten-free, phthalate-free, cruelty-free and vegan. Their limited edition Endless Summer ($98) fragrance is floral but grounded, with notes of rose, coconut water, sandalwood, and sunny accord.
True Glue
Who says you can’t be eco-friendly and have bomb lashes? Canadian brand True Glue has developed an all-natural lash adhesive ($19.17) containing soothing ingredients like chamomile, biotin, and castor oil. It’s vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, and comes in three colours (that turn transparent when your lashes are ready to apply)! Use this adhesive to attach their 100% silk false lashes, and you can feel good about looking fabulous.
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