Plumberry Parade– BUYER BEWARE!! When I asked y’all if I should start doing reviews, everyone that responded said yes for various reasons. One response in particular really resonated with me- the person said just because a product has a great ingredient list, it doesn’t mean the product is necessarily great. And that has proven to be very true, and the main reason I now want to review as many pro…ducts that I’m recommending as possible. Whenever I see a personal care product, I always go straight to the ingredient list, usually for either a bubble bath or shampoo. That really says a lot about a product, I’m mainly looking for what’s NOT in it. So, when I was sent a message asking if I’d please share the grand opening of an online boutique run by 2 Work-at-home-moms (WAHM) who are sisters, of course I was interested. I’ve only chatted with 1/2 of the front people for this business. She told me upfront they were not actually making any of the products, just buying them wholesale & reselling. Fair enough, that happens all the time. I checked out the website (http://plumberryparade.com/) which claim is that all products are made in the USA (actually, it’s not clear at all that ALL products are made in the USA, only the clothing, but she assured me everything was & it was just an oversight by the web designer), with certified organic clothing & personal care products, and eco-friendly toys & accessories. I went straight for the ingredient list in the toddler shampoo/body wash: “Purified Water, Organic Potassium cocoate (cleansing agent), Organic Potassium olivate (cleansing agent), Kosher Vegetable glycerin, Potassium citrate (pH adjuster), Butyrospermun parkii (organic shea) butter, Calendula officinalis (organic calendula) flower extract, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Hemp & Organic Jojoba Oils, proprietary blend of pure essential oils.” All products are eco-friendly & free from animal testing, no animal ingredients, SLS Sodium Laurel Sulfate FREE, SLES Sodium Laureth Sulfate FREE, Synthetic Fragrance FREE, Colors and Dyes FREE, Parabens FREE, Phthalates FREE, TEA and DEA FREE, Petrochemical FREE, Packaging is 100% Recyclable. Nut FREE. Looks great- I was very interested. So, I agree to plug the page on the grand opening, the samples of the products they agreed to send still hadn’t arrived, but I was excited to share these great products with y’all. LESSON LEARNED. I will never, ever again share a new venture with my page until I’ve fully checked out all details, and tried the products. Here’s what happened. On the day of the grand opening, it occurred to me– are these products CERTIFIED organic?? So, I headed over to Plumberry’s FB page & asked the simple question: Are your products USDA certified? Or some other agency? The answer “yes”. My question back- yes they are USDA certified? No response. So I send a message to the inbox, we’d been chatting back & forth, ” Are your products USDA certified organic– I don’t see the stamp anywhere on your bottle or website” The response: “all of our products are private label so they are certified organic USA made products and clothes. The only items that are NOT certified are the toys. The labels were made through graphic artist companies and purchased in bulk before certification and we now have 20,000 labels left.” STILL NOT ANSWERING MY QUESTION ABOUT WHO THEIR PRODUCTS ARE CERTIFIED THROUGH. One more time- me: OK, but who are your products certified BY. The final response: “I can’t release anything other than what I’ve already said because almost 65% of all organic companies are selling the exact products as far as skincare that we are. It can be purchased just like we are and sold private label and our ideas stolen easily. I’m not willing to answer any other questions.”
On to those eco-friendly toys- I was very excited to find a wooden magnetic alphabet set. My question: “Can you tell me, or find out from the manufacturer, what type of wood & what type of paints are used.” The response: “The magnets are by a private company that doesn’t offer public purchases. And no longer available. So I can’t find out now.” This was within days of the grand opening. And, it just was another factor in this whole thing that showed me the owner of this boutique had no idea about the products she was selling. Also, there is a silent partner involved, so I received several responses such as the following: “I have a partner and a silent partner and can’t tell anyone who actually makes our stuff- otherwise everyone would want to copy us”. It goes on & on, but that’s the gist of the brick walls I hit every time I tried to get more info.
Then, a couple days ago the product samples arrived, in teeny tiny vials. I cracked them open (a toddler lotion & body wash) I actually don’t use these products in general on my babe, but thought I’d try them on myself. The proprietary blend of essential oils smelled very perfumy to me. I’ve been buying natural/organic products for quite some time & am familiar with the way products scented with essential oils typically smell. It just didn’t smell right to me. Also, the body wash had a pearly sheen to it, like Pantene, not familiar with organic products looking like that. Given all my suspicions already with this product I decided not to even test them on myself. I’m not sharing this info with you to be mean, hyper-critical, or anything else. I’m sharing this info with you because I shared a link to this online store with you on the day of the grand opening, and I know several of you went over & liked the page & even placed orders. I feel completely obligated to get this info out there & let you decide for yourself whether or not to support these products. They do have a 30 day refund policy if you did order something but change your mind due to what I’ve told you.
My main point with my experience here is that they’re telling me that the product is indeed certified (the labels & website just say 100% organic, not certified, but in answer to various questions she’s said yes, it is certified), but can’t tell me by who, due to proprietary information. BS. Total BS. And, I know the certification process is not easy, and is very expensive. ANY & EVERY company that is indeed USDA or OTCO (Oregon Tilth- Earth Mama Angel Baby goes through them) sure the heck is going to make sure that is on the label, and on the website…
This is been a huge lesson for me. I honestly was very skeptical the entire time, but really, really wanted to be proven wrong. I was hoping my questions could be answered with honesty & transparency. Not the case. I informed the mama I’d had all the contact with that I’d not be able to endorse their product or give it a favorable review, and offered to let her/them read my review before publishing it, and I never heard back… I look forward to many POSITIVE reviews in the future. IF THEY’RE DESERVED… The only thing I’m interested in is finding the best of the best products on the market for my babe, and YOURS.
On to those eco-friendly toys- I was very excited to find a wooden magnetic alphabet set. My question: “Can you tell me, or find out from the manufacturer, what type of wood & what type of paints are used.” The response: “The magnets are by a private company that doesn’t offer public purchases. And no longer available. So I can’t find out now.” This was within days of the grand opening. And, it just was another factor in this whole thing that showed me the owner of this boutique had no idea about the products she was selling. Also, there is a silent partner involved, so I received several responses such as the following: “I have a partner and a silent partner and can’t tell anyone who actually makes our stuff- otherwise everyone would want to copy us”. It goes on & on, but that’s the gist of the brick walls I hit every time I tried to get more info.
Then, a couple days ago the product samples arrived, in teeny tiny vials. I cracked them open (a toddler lotion & body wash) I actually don’t use these products in general on my babe, but thought I’d try them on myself. The proprietary blend of essential oils smelled very perfumy to me. I’ve been buying natural/organic products for quite some time & am familiar with the way products scented with essential oils typically smell. It just didn’t smell right to me. Also, the body wash had a pearly sheen to it, like Pantene, not familiar with organic products looking like that. Given all my suspicions already with this product I decided not to even test them on myself. I’m not sharing this info with you to be mean, hyper-critical, or anything else. I’m sharing this info with you because I shared a link to this online store with you on the day of the grand opening, and I know several of you went over & liked the page & even placed orders. I feel completely obligated to get this info out there & let you decide for yourself whether or not to support these products. They do have a 30 day refund policy if you did order something but change your mind due to what I’ve told you.
My main point with my experience here is that they’re telling me that the product is indeed certified (the labels & website just say 100% organic, not certified, but in answer to various questions she’s said yes, it is certified), but can’t tell me by who, due to proprietary information. BS. Total BS. And, I know the certification process is not easy, and is very expensive. ANY & EVERY company that is indeed USDA or OTCO (Oregon Tilth- Earth Mama Angel Baby goes through them) sure the heck is going to make sure that is on the label, and on the website…
This is been a huge lesson for me. I honestly was very skeptical the entire time, but really, really wanted to be proven wrong. I was hoping my questions could be answered with honesty & transparency. Not the case. I informed the mama I’d had all the contact with that I’d not be able to endorse their product or give it a favorable review, and offered to let her/them read my review before publishing it, and I never heard back… I look forward to many POSITIVE reviews in the future. IF THEY’RE DESERVED… The only thing I’m interested in is finding the best of the best products on the market for my babe, and YOURS.
Eco-friendly baby/family products MADE in USA 