Conscious Body Care Buying for the Good of the Earth

By Cindra Halm, Health and Body Care

When I look for a moisturizer, shampoo, massaage oil, or lipstick, the first thing I do is read the ingredients list. If the product isn't free of all or most synthetic materials then, in my belief system, it doesn't belong on my skin, in my metabolism, or as part of the ground water. Despite the myriad choices in the marketplace, we can make educated, conscious observations, and make every day Earth Day when it comes to purchasing and using personal care preparations.

In his Natural Cosmetics Dictionary, Aubrey Hampton, founder of the 35-year-old Aubrey Organics says, "My products are made with natural ingredients in their most natural form, and do not contain anything that is harmful to humans, animals, or the environment." He then goes on to chronicle and define both the beneficial ingredients he uses, and the harmful ones he avoids. My favorite products include Vegecol facial moisturizer, Ginseng Shampoo, and Rose Hip Seed Oil. The company also publishes Organica: a Magazine of Arts and Activism.

At a Burt's Bees training session a few years ago, facial scrubs, hand creams, and foot creams were passed around to taste! The idea was that if you wouldn't put it in your body, you shouldn't put it on your body, where, of course, it goes in. Burt's always details, on its packaging, the percentage of "natural" ingredients in each product, defined by them as "any substance that is harvested by nature and then isolated and purified by a variety of environmentally sound techniques..." This popular company (my favorites include Cinna-Mint Toothpaste, Theraputic Bath Crystals, Avocado Hair Treatment, and the lipsticks) also participates in conservation investments to preserve pristine, recreational, and/or diverse landscapes.

Germany's Dr. Hauschka Skin Care reminds us that the word "cosmetics" comes from the Greek "kosmos" meaning universe, order. Biodynamic farming, at the core of the company, offers holistic, rhythmically-ordered, universe-sustaining principles that nurture the ecologies of living systems. Guidelines for "natural" include: "Most synthetic ingredients are unacceptable; raw materials must be obtained in an environmentally sound and socially responsible manner; no animal testing of raw materials or products." I personally love the Cleansing Cream, Firming Mask, and Spruce Bath.

Other green and clean companies and products include: Heather Lorraine body oils; Dr. Bronner's soaps; Indian Meadows creams and salves; Simpler's organic essential oils; Weleda toothpastes; Sensuous Beauty: "based on the belief that pleasure heals"; Evanhealy: "the skin breathes"; Druide adult and baby personal care; and Savage Beauty skin care in the violet glass bottles; among others. For a local choice, check out the ingredients of Bryn Mawr Soaps on their website.

The Wedge Co-op exists, by definition, to serve its members' changing needs. Because our membership is economically and philosophically diverse, we don't offer only one belief system (including the one put forth in this article) exclusively. That said, we recently have been highlighting the cleaner products as we notice that industry standards, the purchasing choices of shoppers and stores, and member comments are shifting to show a greater health concern for both the individual's body and the Earth's body. Look for the new "Wedge Award" signs which indicate products "free of sodium lauryl sulfate, propylene glycol, paraben preservatives, and synthetic fragrance." Our reference section includes The Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients, and we can access many company brochures which contain mission statements and ingredients lists --just ask. Feel free to try anything marked "Tester" and to converse with any of us in the Health and Body Care Department. After all, it's a co-op principle (#5!) to educate, train, and provide information to our staff, our members, and our shopping community. We can all make more aware and informed choices when we're willing to engage curiosity, information, and inspiration.