Eco
Businesses are raising the standards for eco-friendly beauty items, enhancing both variety and quality. It’s an excellent moment to pamper your skin with masks free from harmful chemicals, along with rejuvenating under-eye oils, mascaras, foundations, hair color, and more—all designed with the environment in mind.
A transformation in beauty products
Cris Robinson, co-founder of Purple Carrot Health Foods & Wellness based in Lethbridge, Alberta, reminisces about the initial days of natural skincare around 15 years prior. During that period, sourcing natural products was a challenge. “The only eyeliner felt like a colored pencil on your skin,” Robinson recalls.
Since then, she notes there’s been a remarkable improvement in both the variety and quality of natural beauty offerings, alongside innovations in sustainable packaging.
Robinson and her business partner, Cathy Lancaster, launched Purple Carrot four years ago as a holistic refillery, wellness shop, and vendor for local products. Previously, Robinson worked as a nutritional consultant, directing clients to various shops for the natural products she recommended. The establishment of Purple Carrot was aimed at creating a comprehensive natural goods destination.
She encourages consumers to make deliberate choices regarding skincare products. “We are inundated with harmful substances through various products, including cleaners. When possible, we should choose wisely,” she asserts.
The advantages of eco-friendly choices
Lindsay Coulter, a green living advocate and the Queen of Green with David Suzuki, highlights additional advantages of opting for green beauty products.
Natural products are typically pure and versatile. For example, rosehip oil can serve multiple functions: as a moisturizer, a cleanser, for relieving osteoarthritis, and as a stress-reducing aromatherapy, while being gentle on the environment when washed away.
Moreover, innovations like solid shampoo and conditioner bars eliminate the use of packaging altogether. Choosing eco-friendly beauty products need not be costly; Coulter also suggests that home-made alternatives can be budget-friendly.
Lane Edwards, the founder of Pura Botanicals in Edmonton, also supports the merits of embracing natural and green products.
Empowerment and self-care through beauty
Edwards founded Pura during her first pregnancy when she discovered sensitivities to traditional beauty products. She created a line of eco-friendly, non-toxic, and plant-based products, with a strong focus on empowerment and self-love.
In many of her formulations, Edwards incorporates essential oils, stating, “They enhance a formula if used mindfully and in moderation.” Essential oils are celebrated for their potential to uplift the mind, body, and spirit. Although research is still ongoing regarding their effects on health and wellness, some studies indicate that aromatherapy can improve mood, reduce anxiety, support sleep, and alleviate pain.
Edwards recognizes Health Canada certification as a rigorous but vital process and also certifies her products through Leaping Bunny, PETA, and CertClean.
Ensuring sun safety
When selecting a sunscreen, examine the active ingredients listed. Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are both regarded as safe and natural options. However, it’s crucial to note that even if these ingredients are solely present, the inactive ingredients could be synthetic and potentially hazardous to health or the environment.
Coulter recommends utilizing the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database (ewg.org/skindeep) to assess how your sunscreen and other products measure up.
