HEALTH & BEAUTY PRODUCTS
Fortunately, the health and beauty industry has exploded with cleaner, safer products over the past ten years. I am listing some of my favorites here to help give you a place to start! While there are tons of other brands, I have tried to only list ones that I have used personally or someone I know and trust uses.
Dr Bronner's--Known for multipurpose organic soaps. We use both the liquid and bar soaps at our house as well as the baby line of products. The citrus scent is my favorite! I purchase these products from Thrive Market.
Primally Pure--Their all natural deodorant receives rave reviews. They also sell cleansing oils, face serums, and body butter. Founded by a farmer's wife who realized how much better she felt eating real food and started wondering how much better her skin would be with real, simple ingredients. I am currently using the blue tansy deodorant and really like it! This is also the only brand of natural deodorant that doesn't give any of us a painful rash.
S.W. Basics--One of the very first organic brands I tried when changing my beauty products. Organic, limited ingredient formulations. Their face serum is one of my favorite products. Their founder has also written two books which I recommend: Skin Cleanse that covers natural beauty products and provides recipes to make your own and Just the Essentials all about essential oils.
Acure--A very reasonably priced line of beauty products and hair care that can often be found at drugstores and grocery stores.
Beautycounter--Safer, high performance skincare and makeup. Beautycounter prides itself on safety testing and advocacy for safer beauty for everyone. They have a Never list of over 1800 ingredients that are banned from use in any products. The color cosmetics are all tested for heavy metal contamination as well. They use a combination of natural and synthetic ingredients and list all ingredients used and their source which makes it easy to avoid specific ingredients. An excellent option for someone used to using high performing, highly pigmented makeup or high performance skin care that wants a safer alternative. I am a Beautycounter consultant and if you are interested in learning more, please click here.
100% Pure--Clean & natural makeup dyed with fruit pigments. No synthetics, no water, no fillers, and products undergo a 9 step safety testing process. Not all products are gluten free, so make sure you check the ingredients.
Vapour Organic Beauty--Sustainable beauty focused on purity, performance, and progress. 100% gluten free products and facility. Several USDA organic certified products. I have never used these products personally, so cannot provide any opinions about my favorites.
W3ll People--Affordable, natural makeup with no synthetic preservatives. Their Expressionist mascara has a brush that I love! I also like their concealer and use a combination of the medium and light shades. They have expanded into select Target stores, so you may be able to check these products out in person. I find their makeup products to have very subtle colors so if you are looking for highly pigmented products, this may not be the brand for you. You can also purchase these from Thrive Market.
Alaffia--This is a newer brand that has lotions, bubble bath, & soaps. I don't have a lot of experience with the products yet, but they are very affordable and have an emphasis on fair trade and wages for their supply chain. This brand is also available at Thrive Market.