Like many of you, I’m very aware that what goes on my skin, in my hair and on my floors and countertops, also goes down the drain and into the world! I distinctly remember a moment, while congratulating myself for using a great, organic body care product, that I looked at the label and realized that bottle had traveled about 3000 miles! Then I squinted and saw that Unilever was distributing the product and I was no longer giving my money to the small, eco-friendly company that I thought I was!
This New York Times article has me again pondering the crossroads of eco-friendly products and economies of scale.
While I’m a big fan of the cleaning power of baking soda, vinegar, Borax and lemons …a decent homemade shampoo is still beyond me! It took me a while, but I found a skin care line that I like; not only because the ingrediants are simple and organic, but because the packaging is recycleble. (Plant the box and you grow basil! The containers are all glass)
But wouldn’t I be better off spending less money and making less demands on the product delivery system and just settle for soap and water and a bit of olive oil? My green-conscience says, yes. My crow’s feet say, no!
How do you make your product purchasing decisions? What do you think is worth having ‘shipped in’ and what do you make or get local? Should we be happy when great eco-products are brought to us by conglomerates? Or should we move on to a smaller producer who is not also involved with pumping harmful chemicals down our drains?
[This post was written by Lee Welles.]
Hi Lee,
I LOVE your Gaia Girls books btw (even though I am in my 30s)!!!
As far as I know, there are only three brands of personal care products that are USDA certified organic to food grade standards… Dr Bronner’s, Origins Organics (owned by Estee Lauder) and miessence certified organics.
All other products claiming to be organic are either not certified at all, or are certified to a lesser “cosmetic” standard, which often allows non-organic ingredients in concentrations that would not be allowed in certified organic food…
Given how easily things are absorbed by our skin I want to be more careful about what I put on my body than what I put into my body!
I use Dr Bronner’s baby soap and castille soap in the shower, and I use miessence for just about everything else, from shampoo to eye cream, to deodorant, toothpaste, and sunscreen.
Miessence is made by a small Australian company called ONE Group (Organic & Natural Enterprise Group) and is not owned by any other companies. It is available in some health shops, but mainly online, I get mine from:
http://www.anniesorganics.com.au (they ship to the US and other countries – free shipping for orders over $100).
Yes, it is made in Australia, which means there are some footprint issues for people in the US and other countries, but ONE Group offsets the emissions associated with shipping and all other aspects of manufacturing miessence products, and is generally a very ethical, environmentally-friendly company.
I hope this helps people navigate the world of “organic” personal care products a little bit…
What I do is order my products through Shaklee, I started before becoming a distributor. I’ve grown allergic to most conventional shampoos, I have no problems with the Shaklee Prosante products, for example. Shaklee is not owned by other companies, is 100% carbon-neutral, sustainably sourced products, manufactured in the US (if you’re purchasing in the US — they manufacture in the country the products are sold in), and they get the package to you carbon-neutral right up to your door.