As winter approaches, we head into yet another season of runny noses, dry skin and chapped lips. It's not my favorite time of year, but the only way to avoid it is to move to a warmer, more temperate climate. Winter sports can be tough on your skin, too. You can get a bad burn skiing or snowboarding if you aren’t careful. So break out your earth friendly products, because it’s time to moisturize!
It’s tough to know where to begin; the lotion aisle at your local drugstore or supermarket can be a vast and confusing place. But if you know what products to look for, you can save yourself a lot of staring and comparing (do I need intensive moisture, vitamin E, healing, skin firming, or what?)
Products containing ingredients like aloe vera, jojoba oil, green tea or cocoa butter are good places to begin. If the ingredients list these natural moisturizers in their pure state, you are off to a good start. Don’t run to the checkout counter yet, because many of these ingredients are imported, which means you’ve got to be careful in selecting products that only use fair-trade ingredients. Also beware of products that contain these ingredients but have refined and processed them completely.
Shea butter isn’t regulated and generally isn’t fairly traded, as the laborers who harvest the nuts work intensively for nominal pay. For shea butter, it is better to buy it from a seller who purchases the shea from the workers directly, rather than through a middleman. Alaffia is a great company that works to ensure fair wages and sustainable harvesting. Even better, the all natural unrefined ingredients work noticeably better to heal dry skin than commercial products containing shea butter do. An eight-ounce bottle costing around $11 may seem a bit high, but you can’t put a price on knowing where and how your product was created and sold. It is also a great gift idea!
Fairly-traded cocoa butter is a bit easier to find, as it (along with other cocoa products) must be Fair Trade Certified by the USDA. One of my favorite lines is Queen Helene Naturals. Queen Helene is a great company whose products are easy to find on store shelves, and it is dedicated to sustainable packaging and using natural ingredients. Their Naturals line is Fair Trade Certified, vegetarian, and the company doesn’t test their products on animals, according to the web site. The line includes lotions, creams, body washes, and body scrubs. Even better, it comes at a great price, around seven dollars for a 16 oz bottle of lotion.
Kiss My Face is another great company that makes and sells natural and organic products. They’ve got everything from moisturizers to sunscreens, toothpaste to beauty products. Neither their ingredients nor the finished products are tested on animals, and their prices are great. You can shop online or use their site to find a retailer near you. Their products are even sold in supermarkets and Target stores.
Animal testing is one of the more contested practices in the beauty industry today. Many of the large corporations that own household name brands like L’Oreal, Herbal Essences, St. Ives, Eucerin, etc. use animal testing on both their ingredients and finished products. Even if a specific brand doesn’t test their products on animals, the parent corporation might, and buying these products continues to support those companies. For example, Clairol’s Herbal Essences shampoos aren’t tested on animals, but Clairol itself uses animal testing on other products.
PETA has compiled a comprehensive list of companies that don’t test on animals. However, even their list contains some brands whose parent companies do test on animals.
It is also important to beware of labels that claim the finished product is not tested on animals. This is greenwash speak for "our ingredients are tested on animals but not the finished product." For example, Bath and Body Works’ labels state, “This finished product is not tested on animals,” but that doesn’t mean the ingredients in their products are cruelty-free.
Finally, beware of products that contain non-sustainable ingredients. National Geographic’s “Green Guide” has listed some ingredients that are derived from non-renewable sources, or have negative environmental impacts. The 12 to avoid are: antibacterials, coal-tars, diethanolamine (DEA), 1,4-dioxane, formaldehyde, fragrance, lead and mercury, nanoparticles, parabens, petroleum distillates, p-phenylenediamine, and hydroquinone.
Runners up for Earth Friendly Body Products:
- Aveda
- Bare Escentuals
- Tom’s of Maine
- Seventh Generation
